Search Results

Good morning. In pursuing our God-given potential, we’ll face challenges along the way, as well as the ongoing, daily challenge of maintaining steadfast growth. The Lord intends us to keep learning and having new, godly experiences throughout our lives. To fulfill our potential, we need input, which includes knowledge and wisdom from others and wisdom that comes from experience and application. With each new challenge we face, new opportunities will come our way. Seek the Father; bring each opportunity before Him in prayer. He will reveal the path we are to follow to fulfill our purpose for each one of us. We have Holy Spirit who is with us each step of the way. "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25) "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Sometimes it may feel like your schedule has gotten completely out of balance. You need to take some time to reflect upon and evaluate how and where you’ve been spending your time. It is helpful to reflect on the following: • What am I doing? • Which of these things is absolutely vital to fulfilling my potential and purpose in doing what God’s created me to be and do? • What do I really need to do, what do I need to let others do, and what doesn’t need to be done at all? Some answers to these questions may be difficult. And you may need to make tough choices about your time, work, and current relationships. But, no doubt, there are changes you can make that will minimize stress, streamline your day, and help you get more out of every hour. We should pray what the psalmist wrote in Psalm 90:12 - "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." A balanced schedule is structured according to the purpose that God has established for your life. Have a wonderful day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We’ll not arrive at the fullness of our potential without getting and giving help along the way. No one lives in isolation. All of us have and need relationships. Moses worked as a team with various people (including Aaron and Joshua) in his leadership role of the Israelites. Nehemiah rebuilt the broken walls and gates of Jerusalem—with a lot of help. Paul worked with Timothy, Barnabas, Silas, Titus, and Luke amongst others as he traveled thousands of miles spreading the words of Jesus. Jesus chose 12 men to surround and help Him in practical ways. Relationships determine to a great extent how successful and joyful we are. Our relationships make it possible for us to pursue various goals and engage in various activities. And they play a key role in helping us overcome adversities and hardships. Let's put Hebrews 10:24 into practice: "let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." Paul encourages to "carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. To pursue the purpose God has for us, we need to make the Father’s perspective our perspective and make His thoughts our thoughts. Having an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus Christ is key. We must desire to know and become like Him. He must be our Saviour and our role model. Paul declares in Philippians 2:5-8: "have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Jesus had a very clear understanding of who He was and why He was on the earth. Our Saviour regarded Himself as a servant. He humbled Himself before God and was obedient to all of the commands and leading of our heavenly Father. That’s God’s profile for us. If we want to have the mind of Christ, we must see ourselves as His servant on earth. The Bible calls us to be an ambassador for Christ (Ephesians 6:20). He gives the directives and we obey. We do what God leads us to do. Have a good day pursuing God's purpose for your lives. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Are you excited about your life? Or do you feel as if you’re merely existing, drifting along from day to day without any sense of purpose or direction? Through the years, we’ve met numerous people who’re living what can be called “settled-for-life.” Somewhere along their journey, they became complacent and content in their circumstances. It is easy to find ourselves settled and complacent in life. And there are many reasons we can feel stuck, discouraged, or adrift; lose our enthusiasm for life; and forfeit our hope, sense of purpose, and peace. Our heavenly Father sees us through the eyes of love and forgiveness. God sees all the potential and possibilities He has created us to fulfill. If we’re willing to discover and align ourselves with His plan and purpose for us, He will bless us more than we could ever imagine and open doors of opportunity we never dreamed possible. He will restore the joy, peace, and hope we’ve lost and show us the path to the accomplishment He wants in our life. And He promises to bless us with life at its very best. "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4‭-‬5) Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. It is always helpful to prepare ourselves to worship God together with other followers of Christ. Here are a few scripture verses to help us prepare our hearts to worship our awesome God today. "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10) "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:16‭-‬18) "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38‭-‬39) "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." (Ephesians 3:20‭-‬21) Enjoy your day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Change is in the air. Flowers are blooming. Gardens are becoming colourful. Leaves are sprouting. What looked dead a few short weeks ago is showing signs of new life and growth. The building expansion at GraceCov is moving ahead. The new ablution block is taking shape. Our auditorium is taking on a new look. Room is being made for growth. The lockdown regulations, regulating public gatherings, have changed. We are now allowed more than double the number of attendees than a week ago. There is space for you. God is on the move. "See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” (Isaiah 42:9) We get excited about being involved with what God is doing. He is taking us into a new season. Hop on board. Have a sparkling weekend. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Thinking about the missionary couple working into Papua New Guinea and the difficulties they face in carrying out the mandate of the great commision, we are convinced that although we my face different difficulties here where God has placed us, we have the same mandate. Isaiah puts it this way. "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord ; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:1‭, ‬3‭-‬5) What a privilege we have of carrying the message of God's mercy and grace to the world around us. A saying attributed to St. Francis of Assisi reads, “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Yesterday we had the privilege of having tea with a young couple, who together with their young children, have responded to God's call to make disciples of all nations. They are about to return to Papua New Guinea. They are working in a remote village high up in the mountains. The challenge they face in working amongst a people group stooped in cultural traditions and superstitions is how to present the gospel to a people group which has no abstract nouns in their language. Reflecting on this I, Mike, was struck by the relevance of the message we heard this past Sunday I which the question was posed "What does doing faith look like?" When we are faced with demonstrating the gospel in order to get the message of God's amazing love and the salvation message without being able to verbally communicate, we see the importance of living our faith. When we live out our faith; putting action to our faith, we become the windows through which people do window shopping and see God. Can we identify with Paul when he writes, "And they praised God because of me." (Galatians 1:24) Today, live in such a way that those you come into contact with will praise God because of you. Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Reflecting on the awesomeness of God while relaxing in the His presence yesterday afternoon, the words of the song we used to sing in our youth came to mind. "What a mighty God we serve What a mighty God we serve Angels bow before Him Heaven and earth adore Him What a mighty God we serve. He us the King of kings He is the Lord of lord His name is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus Oh! He is the King" I, Mike, am at a loss for words to tell of the greatness of God. David, the psalmist, is far more eloquent than I when it comes to exalting our awesome God. "The Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." (Psalm 100:5) "The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1) "For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done. How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts! But you, Lord, are forever exalted." (Psalm 92:4‭-‬5‭, ‬8) We encourage you to take some time and quiet yourself down from your daily activities and reflect on Him as you sit in His presence. Have a reflective day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. David, the psalmist, has a way with words, particularly when writing about God. He says, "The Lord is my strength ..." David us not talking of muscles. He is referring to when he, David, is feeling down; when he is feeling overwhelmed. He recognises that God upholds him. David continues, "and my shield ..." He knows that God has got him covered; God will protect him. Reflecting on this, David declares his unshakable faith / trust in God. One might even say he is ecstatic when he declares, "My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him." The challenge for us is to consistently display our delight and joy in the Lord; that He is our all in all. Will you join with us in making much of Him? "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him." (Psalms 28:7) Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. We trust you had a good weekend. Now for the week ahead. After listening to Jesus' teaching the Beatitudes which contain character traits of followers of Christ, His audience may well have asked "so what now?" Jesus continues: “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:13‭-‬16) Jesus effectively says, now go and add flavour to the world and let your life shine brightly in order for the focus to be on your Father in heaven. So, as we go into the week ahead of us, may the way we conduct our lives bring others to Him. Blessings. Mike and Daphne