(by pastor Jean)

Psalm 1 begins by calling us blessed or happy if we delight and meditate on God’s word and don’t keep company with sinners and scorners of God. Notice that it says that the blessed man meditates on the word day and night, so if you can’t sleep at night, you know what to do! The Amplified Bible adds that he “habitually” meditates on it. And the result of this? “They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing leaves each season. Their leaves never wither…” (Ps 1:3a; NLT). Firstly, we will be like trees fed by water from the river. In other words, we will be well rooted, strong and healthy, able to bear fruit (see also Ps 92:12-14, Jer 17:8). In addition, “they prosper in all they do” (Ps 1:3b; NLT). Prospering can affect every area of our lives, our physical health, our mental health, our families, jobs, finances and more. Moses told Joshua something very similar to this, he told him that if he would meditate on the word then he would prosper and succeed in all things (Josh 1:8) (see also 3 John:2). He also told the children of Israel that if they would obey God and His commandments they also would prosper abundantly in every area of their lives (Deut 30:8,9). The same applies to us. We also know that God prospered Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and David. In summary, if we delight in the Lord and meditate on His word, it will bring stability, fruitfulness and prosperity.

(by pastor Norman)

Christ died on a cross as a sacrifice for our sins (Heb 9:26), He paid the price for all of our sins, past, present and future and He won for us God’s forgiveness (Col 1:14). As Christians we are no longer sinners (Rom 5:19) but we have been made His righteous children (2 Cor 5:21, John 1:12). We may still slip and commit sin but if we ask for His forgiveness He is quick to forgive. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9; NKJV). However, sometimes we can struggle in our minds with past sins and failures and get to worrying that God couldn’t possibly forgive us. God says to us that, “Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more “(Heb 10:17; NKJV; see also Heb 8:12). If God doesn’t remember our sins, then why should we? The apostle Paul reminds us that as Christians with Christ in our lives we are new creations, the old life has gone, and we live a new life by faith in Jesus (2 Cor 5:17). Jesus cautioned us that, “No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62; NKJV). Keep focused! Paul in Phil 4:13-14 says that he forgot the things in his past but pressed and reached forward for all God’s blessings and to be all God planned for him to be and do. As we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s word to us then the power of the Holy Spirit can transform us to be more and more like Jesus, and we can put the past firmly behind us (2 Cor 3:17-18).

( by pastor Jean)

In Acts 4:13 we learn that when the men of the Jewish High Court saw the boldness of Peter and John and that they were uneducated, ordinary men they recognized that, “they had been with Jesus.” Not only did they note their boldness but Peter and John had just performed a miracle in Jesus’ name (healing the lame man at the gate of the temple). What else was it that showed that they had been with Jesus? Acts 5:12 tells us that, “At the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders (attesting miracles) were continually taking place among the people” (AMP). Not only that but, “believers were added to the Lord in increasing numbers – multitudes of both men and women” (Acts 5:14; CSB). Also, the sick were laid out in the streets and just Peter’s shadow brought healing (Acts 5:15)) and “they were all healed” (Acts 5:16). Then in Acts 6 we read about Stephen who was also doing signs and wonders (V and it was noticed that his face “was like the face of an angel” (v 15). Spending time with Jesus will definitely change us – change the way we look, think, speak and act. As 2 Cor 3:18 says, we can “reflect the glory of the Lord” and the Holy Spirit “makes us more like Him and we are changed into His glorious image” (NLT). This does not just happen overnight of course, it means spending quality time with Jesus day after day after day. The more time you spend with someone, the more they rub off on you.

(by pastor Norman)

Jesus, “humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Phil 2:8b; NKJV). In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matt 26:39; NKJV). Now, that is complete surrender of a life to God. Should our relationship with God be any different? In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 we see that we are temples of the Holy Spirit, purchased for God by the price Jesus paid at the cross; therefore, our lives should bring glory to God. We should live a productive life for God’s kingdom, a life that God would be pleased with and proud of (Col 1:10). In fact, Jesus exhorted us to make our Christian Walk the priority for our lives ahead of all personal desires and ambitions (Matt 10:29, 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 17:33). The apostle Paul encourages us to model our lives after the life we see in Jesus (Rom 8:29) and Jesus Himself told us that as His disciples we need an absolute and selfless commitment to Him (Luke 14:33). “Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behaviour from their parents” (Eph 5:1; MSG). Complete surrender to God, will involve sacrifice in terms of some relationships and material things and bring persecution but such surrender also results in God’s superabundant blessings in this life and the promise of eternal life (Mark 10:29-30). Did I hear a wow?

(by Pastor Jean)

The above scripture is found in Phil 2:14 (NIV). I’m sure we are all guilty of grumbling or arguing to some degree or another, and we also know that no none likes someone who is always complaining about things. We are to guard against it because God hates grumbling. When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they did a lot of complaining and God called it rebellion (Ex 16:2-7). When Moses sent spies to spy out the land of Canaan 10 came back with a bad report which again caused the Israelites to complain (Num 14:26-29). Paul refers to this in 1 Cor 10:10 when he tells the Corinthians not to complain “as some of them also complained and were destroyed by the destroyer.” Grumbling and complaining shows a negative attitude and lack of trust in God. I like how the Amplified Bible translates Phil 2:14, “Do everything without murmuring or questioning (the providence of God).” So how can we counteract the temptation to complain and argue? Every day we are faced with choices when things don’t go the way we want, we can choose to be sad (complain) or we can choose to be glad, despite the challenges (Phil 4:4, Ps 118:24). We need to cultivate a grateful spirit, focusing more on the good things in our lives than the bad; we must pray about the negative circumstances we are facing and use our faith to believe that God will turn things around as He promised in Rom 8:28.