Have you ever considered that a ‘good’ king is a servant to his people?   He holds his power and position for the betterment of his subjects.    He is not above the laws he makes, he is subject to them.   He always has his nation’s best interests at heart and is willing to lay down his life for his people. 

And isn’t that also the description of a GOOD FATHER?

He serves his family.  He, together with his wife, creates a new culture for their individual family.  They make decisions, and he enforces them for the betterment of his family.  He, as a good example, is not above the decisions that he makes for His family.  He would willingly lay down his life for his family.

God our Heavenly Father is also a GOOD FATHER.  He serves mankind daily with oxygen, gravity and sunshine.  He sent, Jesus, His only begotten son, as a servant King to us, to be our example.  Jesus made Himself subject to all the laws that God has decreed (the many righteous, fair, truthful and sinless commandments) and kept them, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus showed He was willing to lay down His life for the safety of His people.  John 10:11 states: “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” 

Christ went willingly to the cross to pay the penalty of sin so all who believe in Him may have eternal life. John 3:16. 

God then sent the Holy Spirit to assist, support, guide and to empower us so that we could fulfil our roles here on earth, being made in His image.

Dads, this Father’s day as you are showered with love and gifts from your family, why don’t you also receive God’s gift to you of the Holy Spirit, to enable you to be the best Dad you can be to your family, and then make the decision to pass on the gift of Eternal life to them.

What a Blessing you would be to them!

“Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” – Mathew 6:10

Please feel free to contact either Pastor Marilyn or Pastor Tim at Encourage Church for more information.

A mother who had lost her only son went to the man of religion in her village and said: "Is there anything you can give me to reduce the pain that I feel?"  "Yes," he said.  "There is a wonderful thing you can do. I want you to go and get me a mustard seed from a home that has no problems.  Such a mustard seed can ward off all problems.  When you find it, bring it to me and I will use it to relieve your pain."

So the mother started out and came to a big mansion.  Nothing could possibly be wrong here!  She knocked on the door, told what she was looking for, and they answered, "You've come to the wrong house."  And then they told her all their problems.  As she was listening to their problems, she thought, "I know something about problems... Maybe I can help these people with theirs."  So, she listened to them; and this helped people.

She kept on searching for her magic mustard seed. But no matter where she went, she could not find that seed.  Everyone everywhere had some kind of troubles.

But she really did find the magic mustard seed, because in trying to help others solve their problems, she forgot all about her own.

Philippians 2: 4 says “Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”

This was the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Even though He was God, He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross and paid for ALL of OUR sins so that whoever believes in Him and what He did for them, would be counted sinless by God the Father and could have eternal life with Him in Heaven.

Have you received your passage to heaven through Jesus’ selfless sacrifice for you?

When you do, you can’t help but want to do the same for others.

 If you think about spiritual things and would like reliable answers, please don’t hesitate to contact us @ Encourage Church as we would love to help you on your journey in Life.

We live in a mechanised world.   When an engine breaks down, the problem part is fixed or replaced and the engine works again.   When our computer dies, we call someone to fix or replace the dysfunctional component and suddenly it comes back to life.

Sadly, we cannot deal with the problem of a human death mechanically.  When a person dies, we can’t fix or replace the broken parts, switch them on and – hey presto – like Frankenstein’s monster, they come back to life.

Today, there is technology to keep a person’s body functioning externally, yet when doctors pronounce someone dead, they acknowledge that something has left the body and no amount of treatment or equipment can bring them back. So, does this mean we have a soul? 

We know so little about life.   Some say life is simply the result of the perfect balance of chemicals, ions and memory-association cells.   But this does not explain self-awareness or that spiritual sense of self which never grows old even when the body does, (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  

If life was simply biological, we should be able to resolve the problem of death with an operation – but this will never be the case.   Unlike mechanical death, human death is permanent – something, our soul, leaves the body and doesn’t come back, (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Science is limited to observing the physical world and many disregard that which cannot be examined.   Yet, we all have a defining and timeless sense of self that transcends our fleshly casing – an inner self that houses all our hopes and fears, dreams and desires, beliefs and standards that cannot be observed on an operating table. 

We should all question: When we die, where does that something (the real us) go?   This is life’s central question.   However, we get so caught up acquiring wealth, status and pursuing the trivial, that we give little thought about the consequences of death. 

The Bible states: ‘For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?’ (Mark 8:36).   The Good News and answer to life’s central question is found in John 3:16.

If you think about spiritual things and would like reliable answers, please don’t hesitate to contact us @ Encourage Church as we would love to help you. 

We can sometimes assume it  is good to be a Queen.  She has power, great riches and people vying for her attention.  While this may be so, the Queen is also a regular target of those constantly trying to steal her wealth and usurp her power.   The truth is, with all her riches and power; she cannot buy privacy or peace of mind.

We wrongly assume that if we reach our personal aspirations of attaining fame, power or riches, happiness will follow.   We think our problems will easily be solved, that people will finally recognize and celebrate our success and we can eventually relax in our prosperity and applause.   Regrettably, this is usually the start of our problems, the beginnings of misery and a time of great personal attacks.  Members of the Royal family will certainly attest to this at this time.

The truth is: For every action - there is a reaction.   The greater your impact - the greater your opposition.   For every person who claps you on the back – there is another who stabs you in the same spot.   The greater your size – the bigger the target you make.   Once you have a crown – there are many that wish to take it.   

Prosperity is one of life’s hardest tests; it breaks more people than it makes.   So, what is life’s ideal environment?

Every set of circumstances has its own set of tests.  Being rich or poor, famous or unknown, powerful or insignificant has its own set of problems

Happiness is a state of the soul, found in a spiritual environment.  It is an inner capacity that has little to do with outward circumstances.  If you are not content in the circumstances you find yourself, it is unlikely you will be content if your circumstances change. 

We were designed to have a relationship with our Creator.  When we honestly start trusting in God, knowing He is working all things together for our good, we also start relaxing and gaining that inner peace the Bible promises – no matter what our circumstances.

The Apostle Paul states in Philippians 4:11: “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content.”  

And David states in Isaiah 26:3: “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”