NAC Melkbosstrand Congregation

12/08/2026

Onse See’n August edition

25/06/2026

The Word for Today
Habakkuk 2:4

Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.

The Babylonians were an arrogant and proud nation, trusting in their own military might and celebrating in their own abilities to conquer and enslave other nations, including the Israelites. This would eventually lead to their downfall. But as Habakkuk writes, the just, the righteous, will live by their faith in God and their faithfulness to God. This is how we need to live and be inspired to live. Trusting in God for everything, to trust Him to change and move things around as it pleases Him and as it serves Him in our lives, and to follow Him unconditionally in being obedient to His will, even if we don’t understand it at the time. Habakkuk’s words are helpful to all who must live through difficult times without seeing signs of relief. It motivates and inspires us to keep going, to persevere in our faith, knowing that God’s help is at hand. We must trust that God is allowing and directing all things according to His purposes. Living by faith, not by sight, requires letting go of all you think you know, and submitting to all that God knows. It means a choice between two paths, two life directions - throwing away our confident trust in Jesus Christ or patiently persevering with Him until the end. Always take the better path, continuing to walk with Him, even though it looks more difficult and treacherous. That path gets steep in places. The climb saps your energy, it gets lonely at times, and sometimes you might feel lost. It might even feel like not many people are on the path with you, but there are more than you think, and some are there because of *your* example. It gets slippery, with Satan blowing ice on the narrow passages. And he is persistent! Despite its dangers, the better path leads to the peak - the goal of our faith. And you’ll make it, because God’s got you! When you feel tempted to falter in your faith or to turn back from following Christ, remember all that He has already done for you, His promise for the future, and His constant companionship throughout life. When things get too tough, He will carry you. And when your strength has been replenished, then keep climbing. No matter how many times you go through challenges in life, obstacles that seem insurmountable, impossible situations, just keep reminding yourself that He who stands with you is mightier than whatever stands before you and against you. And each time you don’t start afresh, you start with experience, with battle scars of faith that have been hard earned from past experiences. Stand firm, stand strong, stand secure, for the just shall live by faith!

Have a blessed day in Christ. 🙏🏻🦋

24/06/2026

Onse See’n June edition

24/06/2026

The Word for Today
Luke 1:13-15

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for
your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you
a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have
joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he
will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither
wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy
Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”

John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus Christ, the one who prepared the way for Jesus Christ, the Redeemer. And just like John the Baptist, we are called to profess our faith in Jesus Christ. Zacharias and Elizabeth, John’s parents, were of a high age, certainly past the age for having children. They had never given up praying to God for His blessing, and dearly would have wanted a child. Yet nothing happened. For years nothing happened. And then God moved! The Angel Gabriel appeared to Zacharias as he was serving God in the temple, and told him that they were to have a child. An absolute miracle. Yet, Zacharias questioned the Angel, and could not believe that it was possible. As a result, he was struck mute until John was born. Don’t give up praying for what you want and never lose faith in God’s ability to help. He hears every prayer and answers them in His time and in His wisdom, even if the answer is not what we had expected. Have a believing and trusting heart, serve Him all your days in faith and obedience, and experience His hand precisely when you need it. Just like John, we are called to be His disciples, to be forerunners to His return. We have been tasked with spreading His Word, teaching all about Jesus Christ and His message of redemption, pointing the way to Him. It is not your job to save or to convert, it is your job to sow the seeds. The rest is in His hands. We do not draw attention to ourselves, but through our words and our actions, our way of life, we draw attention to Christ. Like John, we are not spared trials and challenges. John was imprisoned, and eventually lost his life there. We will likewise face challenges for processing our faith in Him. Stand firm! We stand on the threshold of the return of Christ, and an eternity with Him. We are filled with the same Spirit in our souls, the same love of God fills our hearts, and the same Christ sacrificed His life for us. Profess your faith in Him, never stop praying for what you want, and trust God to move when the time is right.

Have a blessed day in Christ. 🙏🏻🦋

22/06/2026

22/06/2026

The Word for Today
Matthew 5:20

For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Righteousness means having a right love for God leading to a right relationship with Him and with other people, producing right actions. It is not OK to simply be living your life according to a set of rules and laws to please God, which is what the Pharisees did. Their weakness was living the laws outwardly, but not allowing God to change their hearts and attitudes inwardly. They made sure to look good on the outside and acted piously, but they were far from living the kingdom life, a life pleasing to God. God is concerned about our hearts as well as our deeds, because our hearts show where our real allegiance lies. Our faithfulness to Him is a condition of the heart, not obedience to a set of rules and laws. We need to *live* a life of faith, practicing what we preach, and displaying the nature of Christ living within us. This is righteous living. In Jesus’ sermon on the mount, He was saying that His listeners needed a different kind of righteousness altogether out of love for God, and not mere compliance with a set of legal or conformative requirements. Our righteousness must come from what God does in us, not from what we can do by ourselves. It must be God-centred, not self-centred. Godly inspired, not worldly inspired, seen from God’s eternal perspective, not from our limited, earthly perspective. It must be based on reverence for God, not on approval from others. Doing God’s will, and not stubbornly doing our own thing. It must go beyond keeping the law to living by the principles behind the law. We should be just as concerned about our attitudes that people don’t see as about our actions that they do see. The pureness of our hearts and the way in which we apply the Living Word to our daily life is where His Word comes alive within us. This is the difference between knowing and living, between understanding and doing, between hearing and applying. Don’t just follow the rules, live the lessons. Take what is taught and make it come alive. Live consciously, allowing the Spirit within you to lead your thoughts, your words, your actions, and let the Word of God change you from the inside out, bearing witness to His presence within you. Don’t be a dead fish; only dead fish go with the flow. Be alive, awake, and actively pursue the will of God, living as He wants you to live, loving as He loves you, and forgiving as He forgives you. This is righteous living.

Have a blessed day in Christ. 🙏🏻🦋

17/06/2026

The Word for Today
Hebrews 11:3

By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are invisible.

We believe in God, the Father, the Almighty, the Creator. Faith starts with believing in God’s goodness and truth - that He is who He says He is. Faith culminates with knowing that God will do what He promises. When we believe that He will fulfil His promises even though we don’t see them materialising yet, we demonstrate true faith. Believing that God exists is only the beginning. But God will not settle for mere acknowledgement of His existence. He wants our faith to lead to a personal, dynamic relationship, where we accept His will, change our lives in acceptance of His word, and believe in the saving grace of His Son’s sacrifice for humankind. True understanding of faith follows commitment to God. We cannot hope to understand God through our human intellect and reason alone. God has given us minds, which should be developed and used to their fullest. To ignore intellectual growth is to live a stunted and naive life, a life without enlightenment. God wants our trust and our faith, even whilst we ponder and wonder about so many matters that are mysterious to us. God has spoken to us in the person of Jesus Christ. It is our belief in Him that drives us to want to change our nature, to live as He lived, to love as He loved. We do not believe in a void, nor leap into the dark. Faith is reasonable, though reason alone cannot explain the whole of it. Use your mind to think through your faith, but leave room for the inexplicable works of God. He is the Creator of all things, every living creature. He alone is able to create with such precision and perfection. He created you and I, and He created the soul within us. He created the various realms within which the souls find themselves, both amongst the living and the dead. He is your Father, the one who knows everything about you - your circumstances, your needs, your concerns, your desires, every hair on your head, and is active and busy in your life, creating that which serves you best. And He says to you and I - Do not be afraid of whatever the future holds, because I am in control. Just trust and believe in Me. Take care of your soul, just as you take care of your natural body. Do not focus on what you see; our eyes can be deceptive. Focus on the invisible God, the God who is able to create anything and everything, the Almighty God who has the power to change your circumstances, to bring new life to that which appears to be dead, and The Father who loves us unconditionally. God is understood through faith, and our faith comes alive when we walk in trust and in belief, not by sight. It is by faith that we understand, by faith that we walk, and by faith that we grow in our belief in the saving grace of God - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Have a blessed day in Christ. 🙏🏻🦋

15/06/2026

The Word for Today
Isaiah 43:18-19

Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

God will make a way! He always does. To those who trust in Him and believe in Him, He will make a way. All it takes is faith like a mustard seed, having no fear in your heart, and belief. He brought the Israelites out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, brought them through the desert because of their distrust and lack of faith, but still made sure they were protected, had food to eat and water to drink. And still brought them to the Promised Land and performed the miracle for them to possess it. He made a way for David against Goliath. He restored what Job had lost, He stood by Jonah, even though he tried to run away from doing God’s calling, He made a way for Gideon with 300 men, He stood by His Son throughout His life on earth, and throughout His crucifixion. What an awesome God we serve! He reassures us that He *will* make a way. Not only that, but He says, “I will do a *new* thing! I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert!” Not an adjustment to what is, but something *new*. What He wants to do for you is what He has in store for you, not what you think He should do. Parting the Red Sea was impossible, until it was done! You and I need to be ready. Our foundation needs to be rock solid to support the work that God wants to do on top of it. He wants to build roads in the wilderness of your life, where you do not even see the possibility of a road, because the way seems so blocked. He wants to let the waters of life flow for you and your loved ones, creating an oasis in the desert, where currently it looks barren and growth appears impossible. When we consider the majesty and might of God, the Creator, and witness all that He has done throughout history, and believe in it, what do we have to fear? God *always* has a plan, and it always surpasses what we could possibly imagine with our limited human minds. Jesus (and Peter) walked on water, He healed the disabled, raised the dead, was crucified, died, and was buried. He arose from the dead and ascended into heaven. What makes you think that you are beyond His help? Do not fear! He is busy creating something new, a road in the wilderness and a river in the desert. Step out in faith, knowing that the road is coming, and your path will be clear, because He will build it for you. Trust the process, His process, and believe as you walk every step with Him by your side.

Have a blessed day in Christ. 🙏🏻🦋

12/06/2026

The Word for Today
Nehemiah 8:10 (part)

Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

We serve in the joy that Christ is near us. This is where our strength and our joy comes from. Nehemiah was a true servant of God. He received news that Jerusalem’s walls were in a state of disrepair and that they desperately needed to be rebuilt. It brought him great despair, and he prayed and pleaded with God for help. God moved, and he left his job in the royal courts of the king of Persia, with the king’s blessing and authority, and left for Jerusalem. There he faced opposition, threats, lacklustre behaviour, uncertainty, even from those within his inner circle. But through it all, he used his God-given skills, as well as the skills of management he learned in the king’s courts, to organise and structure. All the while, trusting God for guidance, protection, and strength. He rebuilt the walls and gates of the city in just 52 days! Nehemiah did not just accept a seemingly impossible task from God. He did not just speak words of encouragement and relay a message. He knew what needed to be done, he convinced the people to do the work, and he stood firm in the face of all the conflicts he faced from all sides. He was a man of character, persistence, and prayer. A brilliant planner, organiser, and motivator. He stood calm in the face of opposition, and he was capable of being bluntly honest with his people when they were sinning. Ezra, as the sent spiritual leader of the time, worked together with Nehemiah to lead the people back to God. They needed to take action, because words would not be enough. It is not enough to know what the problem is, to analyse it and understand it, but then not have the courage to do something about it, to do what needs to be done. When we walk with the Lord, under His direction, we can accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. Real service for God has 2 parts - talking with Him (praying with a pure heart), and walking with Him (taking action). Whatever is broken, needs to be repaired. It is not OK to see the damage, and to ignore it. It takes courage and trust to know that when you do the work, God stands by you and can achieve the seemingly impossible. There are no triumphs without troubles. As members of the body of Christ, we all play a vital role in building His work. But when cracks appear, we cannot just paint over them. Cracks need to be opened up, plastered, sanded, and then painted over. This is the work we need to do, with love, and with trust in God’s helping hand. He forces us to look within, to see our shortcomings, but to know that with Him, we receive all the strength we need, both to persevere, and to complete the task He lays before us. Don’t be dismayed, but trust the vision He lays in your heart, and have the courage to set matters right. ‘Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength’.

Have a blessed day in Christ. 🙏🏻🦋