Hello people,

Hope you're doing well?

We began a new series on Sunday which we will be sharing here.

Do you want to have the good life? Then join us as we connect with the Transformation Church, our church family in SC and Derwin Gray, Senior Pastor of Transformation Church who has also written a book on this series.

Welcome!!!

THE GOOD LIFE– Episode 1- Happy are the Beggars

Derwin Gray

The good life is about Jesus’ word as taught in the Beatitudes.
Matthew 5:1-12 (CSB). Jesus showed in the Beatitudes a living portrait of what it is to be Human. It is a living portrait of Jesus Himself.

Trying to find true and lasting happiness outside of Christ is like chasing your shadow.

Since 2008, over 4,000 books have been written on how to be happy. In the year 2000, there were actually about 50 books on happiness. In recent times, there seem to be a constant chase in humans to find that which truly makes for true
happiness. What if we got happiness all wrong and we are becoming the wrong kind of people?

In our world today, happiness has been equated to doing things (like getting good grades, money etc.) and getting things (wealth, material possession like cars houses etc.).

Happiness isn’t confined to the things we get, although these things are good and of necessity, it is about becoming who we were meant to be.

Happiness is not about good things happening to us, however good things does happen to us
daily, it’s about God making us good.

The happiness Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount is not affected by circumstances, it is about the internal and eternal work of a loving God who shaped us with His nail-pierced hands.
“Blessed” in Greek means “Makarios” which literally means to be happy and supremely blest.

Our happiness is connected to our love for God and God’s love for us which moves us to be whole human beings. As we embrace God’s kind of happiness, we also become holy.

‘Holy’ here simply means I am a functioning human being like God created me to be.

How Do We Experience True Happiness?
By:
1. Becoming a Beggar (Matthew 5:3, Ephesians 2:3-7) Matthew 5:3 (Paraphrased) “Happy are those who are spiritually bankrupt, for without God they cannot live, exist and be the people they were created to be.

Despite everything we have, we are spiritual beggars. God is the standard of all morality and compared to God who is revealed in Christ, witnessed to us by the Holy Spirit, none of
us are good. The good God wants to be our goodness.

2. Repenting of our Pride. (James 4:6-8, Psalm 89:15-18 NLT) Pride in its essence means “self-sufficiency”. This is when we become more focused on ourselves and what we can do. A
sign of spiritual maturity is not depending on God less but depending on Jesus more. Doing things for God’s glory not our own glory. Self- sufficiency leads to sin.

3. Receiving and living from the unending riches of Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 8:9, Psalms 32:1 CSB)

Through faith in Christ we supernaturally are incorporated into His life so that everything that is true about Him is true about us too and this is not based on what we do or haven’t done, but on
what He does.

The unending riches of Christ includes Love,
Forgiveness, His Presence, Happiness, Power etc.
Power here isn’t about exotic things. Power is found in Matthew 5:45, "But I say love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you and Romans 12, "Overcome evil with good." Romans 12 leave vengeance to the Lord.

Likewise, happiness here is not you walking around smiling like a clown it's a happiness that's deeper and beautiful and more profound and we understand it's a happiness that leads to
holiness.

As you're satisfied in Jesus you will become holy like Jesus.


Soul Tattoo: Happy are the beggars, for only they receive the unending riches of Christ.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Monday June 8, 2020

Focus/Reflection: The good life is really about Jesus in the Beatitudes. Jesus modeled what it means to be human. The Beatitudes is a living portrait of Jesus Himself.

Notes/Prayers: Father help me to see my life in the light of Your life and help me to be a living portrait of You on earth.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Tuesday June 9, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Trying to find true and lasting happiness outside of Christ is like chasing your shadow. We may end up being the wrong kind of people.

Notes/Prayers: Dear Lord, help my heart to constantly realize that all I am and would ever be can only be found in Christ. Teach me not to chase anything outside of You.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Wednesday June 10, 2020

Focus/Reflection: The happiness I was created to experience is not found in happenings. True happiness is more about God making me good than good things happening to me.

Notes/Prayers: Sweet Holy Spirit, teach my heart to know what true happiness is and help me to live in the reality of this revelation.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Thursday June 11, 2020

Focus/Reflection: As we embrace God’s kind of happiness, we also become holy. ‘Holy’ here means I am a functioning human being like God created me to be.

Notes/Prayers: Dear Father, as I embrace You and all You have done for me, help me be holy as You are and to function like I was created to be.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Friday June 12, 2020

Focus/Reflection: A sign of spiritual maturity is not depending on God less but depending on Jesus more. Doing things for God’s glory not our own glory. Matt. 5:3.

Notes/Prayers: Dear Lord, bring me to a constant awareness of my dependence on You. Henceforth, I do everything for Your glory and Your kingdom, not for my own benefits.

THE GOOD LIFE– Episode 2- 'Happy Are The Sad'

Derwin Gray.

You will become happy when what breaks God’s heart breaks your heart: sin, injustice, suffering. (Matthew 5:4 CSB & Isaiah 61:1-2).

This is because the God’s kind of happiness is rooted in purpose, rooted in God’s redemptive plan and the redeemer Himself, Jesus.

Also, this happiness can’t be stolen because you are in God’s hand.
Mourn in Greek is translated as “lament” and it means a wailing, a crying, a deep hurt, not just at personal sin but at corporate and systemic sin.

Lament is a holy hurt, this hurt pushes us deep into faith, hope, love and into knowing Jesus and His redemptive purposes. Mourning and lamenting within the understanding of the
gospel is intrinsic to the gospel because what breaks our heart moves us into the world to look for the brokenhearted.

The key to our comfort is becoming a comforting agent to those who are brokenhearted. We must not forget that Jesus came to preach to
the brokenhearted and He begins to preach in us and through us, in His presence, power and goodness. If you dismiss grief, you forfeit
growth. Psalms 34:18(CSB)

Happy are the sad because they:
1. Repent of sin and embrace the atonement individually and corporately. (Isaiah 6:1-7& Psalm 32:1)
We find it easier to repent of our personal sins than corporate sins.
To repent over something that you didn’t do is more of “lament”, it is acknowledging the wrong about it and the benefits you might have
gotten from such wrong thing(s).

We get this kind of repentance(individual and corporate sin) from Isaiah 6:5. “Then I said, Woe is me for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips (Personal sin) and live among a people of unclean lips (Corporate sin), and
because my eyes have seen the king, the LORD of Armies.

One of the signs that you are maturing and growing as a follower of Christ is that you don’t think so highly of yourself, not that your self-
esteem is low, but you get so infatuated with the grace and greatness of God.

The more we mature in Christ, the more dependent we are on Christ and this leads us to confessing and acknowledging that the only good thing in us is Jesus.

Jesus is now our atonement. He’s the High Priest who went into the Holy of Holies and though His Blood He atoned for our sins so that we
don’t have to go through the rituals and sacrifice as it was done under the old covenant. There is a joy and happiness that comes from knowing that we are covered by Jesus such that when God the Father looks at us, He sees Jesus, the blood of Jesus and what is true of Jesus becomes true of us; and as we walk in intimacy with Jesus, we see who we can truly be.

2. Join Jesus in bringing redemptive Justice to the world.(Isaiah 6:1-8, Hebrews 13:3, Isaiah 1:17)

Redemptive here is an Old Testament word rooted in the Exodus that when God set the nation of Israel free through Passover which
was the blood of the Lamb over the doorpost they were set free from captivity in Egypt and set free from slavery.

Jesus is the new Passover because through his blood we are set free from the power of sin and
the power of death.

Redemptive justice means wanting to see God’s love touch every corridor of the world beginning with me and to the world. We join Jesus in His mission of redemptive justice which means evangelism.

When we lament (both personal and corporate sin) and repent, we are sent. We are sent on behalf of our gracious God. Putting ourselves
in other people’s shoes expands our capacity to love. Hebrews 13:3, Isaiah 1:17

Food for thought: What injustice are you standing in front of today in your society; saying not today and not under my watch. We must not forget that Jesus fought for us so that we can fight with faith, hope and love for those who are oppressed, depraved and mistreated.

Soul Tattoo: Grieve, Grow and Go.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Monday June 15, 2020

Focus/Reflection: You will become happy when what breaks God’s heart breaks your heart: sin, injustice, suffering. And this happiness can’t be stolen because you’re in God’s hand.

Notes/Prayers: Father help me to come to know what it means to be truly happy. Teach me to chase after the things that makes You happy
in Jesus Name.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Tuesday June 16, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Mourning and lamenting within the understanding of the gospel is intrinsic to the gospel because what breaks our heart moves us into the world to look for the brokenhearted.

Notes/Prayers: I declare this day in the name of Jesus that I lament, repent and am ready to be sent to preach the gospel and reach out in love to the brokenhearted.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Wednesday June 17, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Lament is a holy hurt, this hurt pushes us deep into faith, hope, love and into knowing Jesus and His redemptive purposes.

Notes/Prayers: Spirit of God, help to me know what it means to “lament” and let this holy hurt draw me into knowing Jesus and His redemptive purposes.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Thursday June 18, 2020

Focus/Reflection: The more we mature in Christ, the more dependent we are on Christ and this leads us to acknowledge that the only good thing in us is Jesus.

Notes/Prayers: Spirit of God, teach me to be more dependent on Christ and to constantly acknowledge that He is the only good thing in me.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Friday June 19, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Jesus is our atonement. We are covered by Jesus such that when God the Father looks at us, He sees Jesus and what is true of Jesus becomes true of us.

Notes/Prayers: I declare this day that I live in the understanding of the atonement of Jesus for me and that what is true of Jesus is true of me in the name of Jesus.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Saturday June 20, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Redemptive justice means wanting to see God’s love touch every corridor of the world beginning with me and to the world. This also requires standing against injustice in your society.

Notes/Prayers: Oh Lord, I choose to be an instrument to spread the fragrance of your love. Help me to pursue redemptive justice and to stand against injustice everywhere I see such.

THE GOOD LIFE– Episode 3- Happy are the Humble

Derwin Gray.

We are welcome to the Episode 3 of our GOOD LIFE series. One of the striking lessons of these series is an encouragement not to look to find
happiness in created things or to fill a longing that only the uncreated creator can satisfy.

It’s important to know that as Christians our inheritance as followers of Jesus is the New Heaven and New earth and this was secured by the blood, the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus and descending of the Holy Spirit.

Humility is not timidity, shyness nor even weakness. The word ‘Humility’ can be translated as ‘meek’. Humility is having GODFIDENCE not SELF-CONFIDENCE.

Godfidence is utter dependence on God in every single facet of life. The way we need the next breath is how we ought to cling to God. His Spirit is the breath of life.

How do we become Humble? By Faith we:
1. Embrace God’s Sovereignty. Luke 5:3-7, Romans 8:28-29.

Humility gives us the ability to tap into God's supernaturalness. God Sovereignty says He is a King (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) who orchestrates and rules the whole of creation.

By implication, we obey God even when it doesn’t make sense because we know He is sovereign. God’s sovereignty is revealed in this that God is able to use and make everything to
work for our good.

2. Embrace God’s Holiness. Luke 5:8
God will use the things that we love to show us that those things can't love us like Jesus. He uses the things of this world to reveal His holiness to us.

Here, Holiness means separateness. In the light of God’s holiness, we see how big and beautiful He is and how small we are (however not in a
diminishing sense).

In awe of God’s holiness and as an evidence of growing in Christ, we worship Him, we seek to be like Him; we don’t use Him (i.e. only bogging God for our material needs).

You need to ask yourself: How big is Jesus to me? Is He someone I talk to only when I need something or in trouble?

3. Embrace God gracious call to participate in His Kingdom. 1Peter 2:9, Luke 5:10-11
When Jesus calls us out of darkness to light, when He calls us by grace to forgive our sins and make us new, when He calls us from enemy to friend and from foe to family, He's calling us to participate in the family's business.

Grace humbles us without obliterating us but it also lifts us up to celebrate us. Exodus 19:4-6. God called us into His kingdom by grace and unleashes us into the world to proclaim his praises not just in words but how we live through His power.

When we come to Jesus, God makes us into a new race called the church.

4. Embrace God’s covenantal love John 21:4-12
Jesus came to offer the new covenant of God’s love through His death and resurrection which makes new, restores, forgives, empowers, makes stronger and is full of grace.

Whenever we experience disappointment, it is good we get back to Jesus quickly or we will get back to the things that broke our heart in the first place.

Grace is inexhaustible and even in our brokenness, frustration, disappointment and failures He still calls us a friend and restores us.

Remember that Jesus gave His life for us to give His life to us and to live His life through us.

Soul Tattoo: Humility connects us to God’s supernatural Ability.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Monday June 22, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Do not look to find Happiness in created things or to fill a longing that only the uncreated creator can satisfy.

Notes/Prayers: Sweet Holy Spirit, teach my heart to find satisfaction and happiness in my creator and not in created things.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Tuesday June 23, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Humility is having Godfidence, not self-confidence. The way you need your next breath is the way you ought to cling to God

Notes/Prayers: Father, I declare this day that I am nothing without You. Help me oh Lord to be dependent on You in every facet of life. Amen.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Wednesday June 24, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Humility connects you to God’s supernatural Ability. It’s a posture that makes you recognize God’s greatness in you & His work through you.

Notes/Prayers: Spirit of God, teach my heart to be humble so that Your supernatural ability can be at work in me and through me.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Thursday June 25, 2020

Focus/Reflection: In awe of God’s holiness and as an evidence of growing in Christ, you worship Him, you seek to be like Him; you don’t use Him (i.e. only begging God for your material needs).

Notes/Prayers: Oh Lord! Help me to be a true worshipper who worships in spirit and in truth. Help me to seek You not only for the things You can give and do for me.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Friday June 26, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Grace humbles you without obliterating you but it also lifts you up to celebrate you. Remember God resists the proud but gives His Grace to the humble.

Notes/Prayers: Spirit of God, teach me to know what it means to be truly humble and help me constantly embrace Your graciousness.

THE GOOD LIFE – Episode 4- Happy are the Hungry and Thirsty.

Derwin Gray.

We are welcome to Episode 4 THE GOOD LIFE series. We are encouraged not to base the quality of our life on external things. We need to come to a point that if Jesus is all that we have, we have all that we need because He is Emmanuel (God with us).
The external things are meant to be secondary not primary.

Our longing for a better world, the desire to see injustice become just, to see broken things get fixed, the desire for suffering to be eradicated is actually a desire and longing for God.

We hunger and thirst for goodness, beauty and justice. Ultimately, Jesus is the embodiment of all that is beautiful, good and just.

Happiness is God making us good, it is God making us beautiful, it is God making us an instrument of justice in an unjust world. Our
hunger and thirst is like an echo calling out to God to make us good.

We often find ourselves in a dilemma and our dilemma lies in that we either adopt the survival of the fittest philosophy or we get fit for God’s kingdom.

However, when God gets us fit by His grace, by His mercy, by His kindness and His love, it is then we get the happiness we were created for. Matthew 5:6 (CSB).

In Jesus’ days, Righteousness would have meant “covenantal faithfulness” but now we can say it means a hunger to see God’s love spread (being a conduit of love). It’s this love that heals the broken hearted and tears down the walls and systems of injustice in our world today.

How do we become Hungry and Thirsty?
1. God gives us the desire to embody righteousness by giving us His Righteousness. 2 Corinthians 5:21.

The beauty of Grace is that God won’t ask us to do something that He doesn’t first give us the Grace to accomplish. He is the requirement
and He is enough. Grace is God's righteousness at Christ's expense.God wants to live the righteousness that is in us through us.

How do we become happy?
 Happiness is found in joining Jesus in meeting another person's need. Happiness is not all of a feeling; it is rooted in purpose. Isaiah 1:17, James 1:27, Proverbs 19:17.

 Happiness is found in joining Jesus to heal the hurt. Luke 4:18-19, Hebrews 13:3. We must know that God is not looking for ability, He has plenty of that. He’s looking for people with availability who hunger and thirst for righteousness because He put the desire there.

 Personal Reflection: Compassion means to suffer with. Whoare you suffering with? Let your prayer be that God gives you a heart that hungers and thirsts after righteousness.


 Soul Tattoo: Happy are those who live Upward, Inward, Outward.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Monday June 29, 2020

Focus/Reflection: If Jesus is all that you have then you have all that you need. External things are meant to be secondary not primary.

Notes/Prayers: Sweet Holy Spirit, teach my heart to find satisfaction and happiness in You and not in external things.

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Tuesday June 30, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Happiness is God making you good, it is God making you beautiful, it is God making you an instrument of justice in an unjust world.

Notes/Prayers: Father, please make me good, make me beautiful and make me an instrument of justice everywhere

Focus for Daily Personal Reflections/Devotion for Wednesday July 1, 2020

Focus/Reflection: Don’t be drawn into the survival of the fittest philosophy, rather get fit for God’s kingdom.

Notes/Prayers: Spirit of God, teach my heart to seek your kingdom and it's righteousness and not to be drawn into the race for survival.