2017-10-27
1 Corinthians 13:11 CEV
People with strong faith can make you feel “less than,” when you compare yourself to them. One Bible teacher writes: “I admired those faith heroes whose flowery testimonies hung around the ceiling, like steam gathering in a shower. They seemed so changed, so sure, so stable. I thought God’s love was doled out according to a merit system. If I did well today, He loved me. If I failed, He didn’t. What a roller coaster! I didn’t realize everything that’s born needs time to grow and develop into maturity. I was expecting an immediate, powerful, all-inclusive metamorphosis that would transform me into perfection.” Do you feel that way, as if there is something wrong with you because you never seem to measure up? If so, read this: “When we were children, we…reasoned as children …But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways.” You start as a spiritual infant, then you become a spiritual child, then you become a spiritual adolescent, and eventually you become a spiritual adult. But you never “arrive.” And quick-fix, do-it-yourself righteousness will just make you try to impress others with a false sense of holiness. It will stop you from being honest before God and make you think you should be farther along than you are for your spiritual age. Do you remember when you were a child and you dressed up in your mom’s high heels or your dad’s work boots? No matter how much you wanted to fit into them, you couldn’t. That didn’t mean there was something wrong with you; it just meant you were exactly where you should have been for your age.
Soul food: Gen 13-16; John 11:45-57; Ps 118:10-18; Prov 31:10-13
2017-10-26
Psalm 103:3 NKJV
The Psalmist wrote, “Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases.” Notice which comes first: The consciousness that all your sins are forgiven precedes the healing of all your diseases. Note also the words “all your iniquities.” Some of us are comfortable with receiving partial forgiveness, but we refuse to allow God’s forgiveness to touch some dark areas we can’t let go of, and that we refuse to forgive ourselves for. Whatever those mistakes may be, allow God to forgive all your sins, and receive healing for all your diseases. Let the past go. Let the mistakes go. Allow yourself to be free, and learn to forgive yourself by receiving with an open heart God’s total and complete forgiveness. Stop hurting yourself, because Jesus was hurt for all your sins. Stop beating yourself up, because Jesus took all your beatings at the cross. Stop punishing yourself, because Jesus has received all the punishment due on your behalf. It’s time to stop asking yourself if you’ve done enough to earn God’s forgiveness and acceptance. They are undeserved – they cannot be achieved by struggle and self-effort; they can only be received by faith. If you gave someone you loved a birthday gift and they insisted on paying for it, how would you feel? Hurt? Upset? That’s how God feels when you try to “earn” His forgiveness, healing, and righteousness. The more you let the waterfall of God’s grace and forgiveness wash over you every day, the more you’ll receive His health for your body and His soundness for your mind.
Soul food: Isa 22-25; John 6:16-24; Ps 114; Prov 28:1-4
Psalm 103:3 DB
Die Psalmdigter het geskryf, ‘Dit is Hy wat my vergewe as ek verkeerde dinge doen. Hy maak my gesond.’ Kyk mooi, die wete dat Hy al jou sondes vergewe, vind voorkeur bo die genesing van jou siektes. Hy vergewe al jou sondes. Sommige van ons is gemaklik daarmee om net gedeeltelike vergifnis te ontvang, omdat ons weier dat God se vergifnis sommige donker areas aanraak wat ons nie kan laat gaan nie, en waarvoor ons weier om onsself voor te vergewe. Wat daardie foute ook al mag wees, laat God toe om al jou sondes te vergewe en ontvang genesing vir al jou siektes. Laat die verlede gaan. Laat jouself toe om vry te wees en leer om jouself te vergewe deur met ‘n oop hart God se totale en volkome vergifnis te aanvaar. Hou op om jouself seer te maak, omdat Jesus vir al jou sondes seergemaak is. Hou op om jouself te straf, omdat Jesus al jou straf namens jou aan die kruis ontvang het. Dit is tyd om op te hou om jouself af te vra of jy genoeg gedoen het om God se vergifnis en aanvaarding te verdien. Jy kan dit nie verdien deur te sukkel en jou eie krag te gebruik nie; jy kan dit net deur genade ontvang. As jy vir iemand wat jy liefhet ‘n verjaarsdaggeskenk gee en hulle dring daarop aan om daarvoor te betaal, hoe sou jy voel? Seergemaak? Ontsteld? Dis hoe God voel wanneer jy sy vergifnis, genesing en regverdigheid probeer ‘verdien’. Hoe meer jy die waterval van God se genade en vergifnis elke dag oor jou laat vloei, hoe meer sal jy sy gesondheid vir jou liggaam en sy rus vir jou siel ontvang.
Sielskos: Jes 22-25; Joh 6:16-24; Ps 114; Spr 28:1-4
2017-10-25
1 Corinthians 9:22 NLT
For any relationship to work, we must accept each other’s differences. Within our family we must respect each other’s unique perspectives. We don’t need to agree on every issue, but we must always honor where the other person is coming from. Paul did that: “I try to find common ground with everyone.” Some of us who claim to follow Christ have a hard time with views and values that differ from our own. We think “compromise” is a dirty word. Some of us have turned from the most immoral lives to faith in Christ, yet after our conversion we won’t associate with anyone who doesn’t agree with us and adopt our newfound values. Sometimes our families fall apart because we try to force our opinions on the people we love, and set boundaries to keep nonconformists out. What a terrible misuse of Christianity! Jesus didn’t condemn the people who crucified Him; He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 NKJV). He didn’t view them as morally bad, but spiritually blind. He told His disciples, “No one can come to Me unless the Father…draws him” (John 6:44 NKJV). It’s your job to love people, and it’s God’s job to change them! So stop trying to do what only God can do! If you invest patiently in your relationships, respect other people’s perspectives, and sow good seed, you’ll reap a pleasant harvest in the long term. Your love, not the force of your argument, can give hope to the most severely damaged among us that there’s healing for the broken places of the human soul.
Soul food: Isa 17-21; John 6:1-15; Ps 127; Prov 27:25-27
1 Korintiërs 9:22 NLV
Vir enige verhouding om te werk, moet ons mekaar se verskille aanvaar. In ons familie moet ons mekaar se unieke perspektiewe respekteer. Ons hoef nie oor elke kwessie saam te stem nie, maar ons moet altyd die ander persoon se uitgangspunt probeer verstaan. Paulus het dit gedoen. ‘…Ek het my met almal vereenselwig…’ Sommige van ons wat sê dat ons Christus volg, vind dit moeilik om sienings en waardes wat van ons s’n verskil, te aanvaar. Ons dink dat ‘kompromie’ ‘n vuil woord is. Sommige van ons het van die immoreelste lewens na geloof in Christus gedraai, en tog sal ons nie na ons redding met enigiemand assosieer wat nie met ons nuutgevonde waardes saamstem nie. Soms val ons families uitmekaar omdat ons ons opinies op die mense vir wie ons lief is, probeer afdwing. Wat ‘n vreeslike misbruik van Christenskap! Jesus het nie die mense wat hom gekruisig het veroordeel nie; Hy het gebid, ‘…Vader, vergewe hulle, want hulle besef nie wat hulle doen nie!..’ (Lukas 23:34 NLV). Hy het hulle nie as moreel sleg gesien nie, maar as geestelik blind. Hy het vir sy dissipels gesê, ‘Niemand kan na My toe kom as die Vader wat My gestuur het, hom nie na My toe laat kom nie…’ (Johannes 6:44 NLV). Dis ons werk om mense lief te hê en dis God se werk om hulle te verander. Hou dus op om te probeer doen wat net God kan doen! As jy geduldig in jou verhoudings belê, ander mense se perspektiewe respekteer en goeie sade saai, sal jy in die langtermyn ‘n goeie oes kry. Jou liefde, nie die krag van jou argument nie, kan hoop gee aan die stukkendste mense tussen ons en dat daar genesing is vir die gebreekte plekke van die menslike siel.
Sielskos: Jes 17-21; Joh 6:1-15; Ps 127; Spr 27:25-27
