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Good morning. While over in Chicago,16 odd years ago, we listened to a sermon by Mike Breaux on the Beatitudes. He used a ladder as a prop. He began with the first Beatitude on the bottom rung. With each Beatitude he moved up a rung. As he got near the top of the ladder he commented that the higher you go, the more people are wishing for you to fall. Is it small wonder that the 8th Beatitude talks of how we as followers of Christ, living righteously, are treated by the world and, sadly, by other followers of Christ? "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." (Matthew 5:10‭-‬11) Notice that much of this persecution is "spoken". Often the "false accusations - all kinds of evil", is because of the stand that followers of Christ take. The lesson for us to stand firm. Don't give in to the pressure brought to bear by the world. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews reminds us: "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Hebrews 6:19) The encouragement for each of us is to not just read the Beatitudes, but to steadfastly put them into practice in our daily lives as followers of Christ. "For theirs is the kingdom of heaven." God bless you today, as you worship Him with other followers of Christ. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. In a Charles Schultz Peanuts comic strip, Lucy tells Charlie Brown, “If I were in charge of the world, I’d change everything . . . And I’d start with you!” Isn’t that just like us? But the beatitudes focus on one’s own self. “Let’s begin with you,” God says. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." (Matthew 5:9) In Hebrew the root word for peacemaker is shalom, a word rich in meaning. Shalom-peace is never just negative, as in the absence of trouble or war. It is also the presence of everything which makes for someone’s highest good. Some of the character traits that we need to become peacemakers are being poor in spirit, mourning over sin and the suffering of others, being meek, being hungry and thirsty for righteousness, showing mercy and being pure of heart. Being a peacemaker is a challenging task that requires successful application of the other Beatitudes. Those who internalize all of these traits and become peacemakers will receive perhaps the greatest promise in the Bible! Let us together determine to be peacemakers. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Those who care, pursue pure things because it signifies they seek nothing but the best. Advertisers hustle their products as pure, claiming pure pleasure, pure satisfaction, pure sugar and pure soap. Animal breeders produce pure-blooded animals from dogs and cats to pigs. We consider pure gold and silver to have lasting value. When a thing is pure, it is unmixed, uncontaminated or undefiled by anything foreign to itself. Jesus says in Matthew 5:8, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Obviously, the quality of the heart is the issue in this beatitude. Proverbs 4:23 reads, "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." According to Jeremiah "the heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9) The heart is central to this beatitude. In the Bible the heart stands for the seat, source and reservoir of our thoughts, attitudes, desires, character and motivation. Blessed are the pure in heart" (Matthew 5:8) is a beatitude expressing a standard that is extremely difficult to achieve. The challenge for us followers of Christ is to gaurd the purity of our hearts. Jesus knew that it could be done. Hence, "they shall see God." Will you commit with us to work on the purity of our hearts. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Our reactions to others during this pandemic have so polarized our society, even within our homes, our families. To vaccinate or not to vaccinate. Argument and counter-argument reign over many of the factors on which informed decisions should be made. Sadly, there remains more questions than answers. We should surely respect the individual’s decisions because we all base our actions on imperfect information. So how should we as followers of Christ respond to those who do not share our views/opinions? This is what Jesus had to say. "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." (Matthew 5:7) James, the brother of Jesus expanded on this when he wrote, "judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment." (James 2:13) The golden rule tells us how to be merciful. "Do to others as you would have them do to you." (Luke 6:31‭) Luke continues, "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36) Today let's allow mercy to shine through in our dealings with those we come in contact with. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6) To fully understand this beatitude we must first know what the word righteousness means. To be righteous is to do things that are upright, virtuous, noble, morally right, and ethical. You could say that righteousness is a life style that Jesus approves of. Jesus teaches us that if we focus and aim for righteousness, then righteousness will be revealed to us. Having said this, with all the injustice and unrighteousness going on all around us, it so easy for us to to get caught up in unrighteous behaviour, albeit unintentionally. To hunger and thirst after righteousness needs to be intentional as this goes against what the world says - win at all costs. Once again we see the counterculture of Christ’s teaching. Today, let's go hard after righteousness. We can make a difference. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Christ's teaching in the beatitudes is counterculture to what the world practices. "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5) The world's ideal leans more to the conspicuous and so-called heroic virtues. "Blessed are the strong, who can hold their own," says the world. "Blessed are the meek," says Christ. True meekness goes far deeper down than our attitude towards men. It flows from the sovereign will of God and delights in conforming to it. When we grasp this, meekness is displayed in our attitude towards men. The truly meek heart remains unprovoked when provoked. The meek meet evil with good. The meek respond with love. The meek are the humble. The meek are obedient and submissive to the will of God. Jesus was “meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29), and this is what followers of Christ are called to. While those that “inherit the earth" are often thought to be the bold, those that submit to God's will, will ultimately inherit the true riches of the earth. As we go about our lives today, submit to Him and demonstrate the meekness that comes through His grace. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning to you. One of the aspects of life that we enjoy is being part of the GraceCov family. Over the years ears we have become friends with amazing people who are (have been) part of this band of Christ followers. Through good times, and not so good, we have experienced the comfort that has been shown. It reminds us of the 2nd beatitude: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4) In the 24 and a half years of the life of GraceCov, there have been happy times as well as sad times - after all, we are family! During the times of sadness the GraceCov family stood (and still does) shoulder to shoulder and with arms wrapped around each other, comforting each other through the tough times. We have the liberty to mourn with each other and to comfort each other. Will you join us in contacting someone today and encourage them with a comforting word. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Looking at the beatitudes again, I, Mike, was challenged afresh by the depth of meaning contained in them. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3) Someone once asked Billy Graham what did Jesus mean by we ought to be poor in spirit and shouldn't we strive to be rich in spirit? Graham brilliantly responded with the following: "What did He mean? Simply this: We must be humble in our spirits. If you put the word “humble” in place of the word “poor,” you will understand what He meant. In other words, when we come to God, we must realize our own sin and our spiritual emptiness and poverty. We must not be self-satisfied or proud in our hearts, thinking we don’t really need God. If we are, God cannot bless us. The Bible says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6)." Pondering this beatitude made me realise the significance of what Peter had to say. "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time." (1 Peter 5:6) As we worship God together today, come with a humble heart. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. Dr. Charles Stanley writing on obedience has this to say. Learning to swim begins with a simple lesson— putting your face in the water. That first little step helps you get comfortable in the water and is critical for all swimming skills. In the same way, following God begins with a small act of obedience. It may seem insignificant or unrelated to the task at hand, but that’s where God wants us to start. Luke records an interesting account in chapter 5:1-7. When Jesus asked to borrow a fishing boat, it must have seemed like just an ordinary request. Peter had no idea it would open the door to ministry and a remarkable adventure with the Lord. Saying yes to God in the small things is essential to discovering His purpose for us, and what’s more, our obedience will also often cause others to benefit. Peter’s compliance with Jesus’ next small request—to let down his nets one more time—resulted in two boatloads of fish, which was more than enough for all those with him. Obedience to God may appear unreasonable at times. But obeying the Lord can lead to divinely ordained opportunities and blessings for us and others. "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15:22) Have a good day. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. When we think of endurance we usually associate it with persisting through hardship, like the mindset of a marathon runner pushing through the pain to finish the race. In Hebrews 12:1- 3 we are encouraged to run with this kind of determination. Our goal should be to remain faithful and obedient to Christ through every situation. This is possible because we know our suffering is temporary and we have an inheritance waiting for us in heaven. But in the meantime, we need the right attitude. The writer of Hebrews commended the Christians for their joyful attitude. They didn’t enjoy the pain and hardship, but knew that it was all part of God’s plan for their good and ultimately they’d have a reward in heaven. We, too, can endure hardship with joy in the Lord, who comforts and strengthens us through it and promises to bring us safely to glory. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:9‭-‬10) Take the time, today, to encourage someone you know who may be going a tough time. Let them know that you are thinking of them and praying for them. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning. "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10) Doing these good works is easier some days than others. The writer of the book of Hebrews gives us a list of people in chapter 11 who lived the lives planned and marked out for them - Noah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, David, Samuel. It was not plain sailing for any of them. Yet, we are told, they were all commended for their faith. They persevered. We too must persevere. The first 3 verses of Hebrews 12 are written to encourage us to not grow weary and lose heart. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." You can do it. "if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you." (Romans 8:11) God bless you as you live for Him today. Blessings. Mike and Daphne

Good morning and welcome to spring. Yesterday while I, Mike, was relaxing, I was reflecting on God's goodness towards us. My mind went to what me friend, Paul, had to say to the church at Ephesus. "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. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2:4‭-‬7) It struck me that my salvation and position in Christ is not about me but about Him. Paul says that what God has done for us as followers of Christ is "in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." So does this mean we sit back and do nothing? No. No! Our part in all this is "to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:10) "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus " (Ephesians 2:10) Have a great day showing off His grace and kindness. Blessings. Mike and Daphne