Dear Friends,

I trust this week has been good for you.  Things have certainly been happy and joyous for me.  I took my son for a drive this week to see the saltworks about an hour from where we live.  It was quite amazing seeing huge piles of salt about 30 to 40 metres high.  Quite incredible really to think that all that was in the oceans only a few weeks or months before. 

How have you been handling the constant pressures of life?  Never forget that Jesus promises to be with us all the time helping us in them.  In the midst of your stress always remember that He is willing to share your burdens.

I wanted to write this week and remind you about the basic truths that we believe as children of God.  The simplicity of our faith is what makes it so precious and having Jesus living within our lives is a remarkable experience that I wish all people could have. 

In the Bible in Titus 3:5 it says that "He saved us, not because of the good things we had done, but because of His mercy."  For me this is very good news.  We do not trust in our own efforts to bring us close to God, but instead we put our trust in the effort that Jesus made on our behalf.

Often, we look at the death of Jesus on the cross and we are thankful that He died in our place.  Because of His death, our sins are removed............but even so, we still struggle to do the right thing.  But God in His mercy has provided even for this.  Not only did Jesus die in our place..............He also lived His life in our place.  The perfect life Jesus lived was for us.  When God looks at our lives and thinks about us, what He sees is that we are perfect, because Jesus lived in our place.

So instead of religiously trying to earn merit with God, we put our trust in Jesus who earned merit for us.  Then instead of working for acceptance, we work and do our best because we are thankful and we want to show our appreciation.  We can live good lives to the best of our abilities (and ask God to help us) because we love God and want to please Him.  But........if we fail, we are still loved, and still accepted, and still saved.

Its just as well really, because neither you nor I nor anyone could ever measure up to perfection...............but because of Jesus we don't have to. 

My prayer is that you would find new life and freedom.  I recomment you devote yourself to prayer and being with other like minded people who will encourage you to follow Him more and more

Have a great weekend - the Lord be with you

Cheers from Mt Morgan

David