2018-04-28
Proverbs 17:27 NIV
It’s not enough to have the right answers; you need the right approach. Good ideas and sound advice are wasted when you use a ram-it-down-your-throat approach. Wisdom means saying the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.” Your efforts at helping someone to change will fail, or worse, alienate them, unless you approach them in love and humility. Most people already know what their problem is. Chances are they’ve been grappling with it for a while, and deep down they want to do better. And unless you’re prepared for a “Who-are-you-to-tell-me” response, you’ve got to approach them in the right way. “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24 NIV). Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NIV). So if people won’t receive the truth in the way you’re sharing it, maybe the problem is partially yours. Former U.S. Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson writes: “You can offer your ideas to people as bullets or as seeds. You can shoot them or sow them. Ideas used as bullets kill inspiration and motivation. Ideas used as seeds take root, grow, and bear fruit in the life in which they are planted. But there’s a risk: Once it becomes part of those in whom it’s planted, you’ll probably get no credit for originating the idea. But if you’re willing to do without the credit…you’ll reap a rich harvest.” So the word for you today is: Take the right approach.
Soul food: Acts 22-23; Mark 5:11-20; Ps 144:9-15; Prov 11:12-13
2018-04-27
Proverbs 24:30 NKJV
It is better to be short-handed than to hire a sluggard; better to have nobody than a lazy body. Evidently Solomon had suffered through a few sluggards on his payroll: “As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy man” (Proverbs 10:26 NKJV). You know how irritating vinegar is when it’s taken straight, or how aggravating smoke is when it gets in your eyes! That’s how irritating a lazy person is to the one who hires him. Whatever he does will take twice as long to finish, and will either have to be done over or thrown out – at twice the cost. His presence on the job is worse than his absence. He wastes his own resources and everybody else’s. A tragic picture is painted in Proverbs 24:30-31: “I went by the field of the lazy man, and by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding; and there it was, all overgrown with thorns; its surface was covered with nettles; its stone wall was broken down.” Now let’s be clear here: We must show compassion toward those who are down and out for legitimate reasons. But they need more than a handout; they need a hand up! They need more than food and clothes; they need purpose, dignity, and self-worth. And that’s what God wants us to give them. Abraham Lincoln wasn’t great because he was born in a log cabin; he was great because he got out of it. Now, the chances are you won’t end up in the White House, but unless you want to end up in the poorhouse, don’t be a sluggard!
Soul food: Acts 20-21; Mark 5:1-10; Ps 144:1-8; Prov 11:10-11
Spreuke 24:30 NLV
Dis beter om hande te kort as om ‘n luiaard in diens te neem; beter om niemand te hê nie eerder as ‘n lui persoon. Klaarblyklik het Salomo met ‘n paar luiaards op sy betaalstaat gesukkel: “‘n Lui mens… is soos asyn tussen die tande, of soos rook in die oë” (Spreuke 10:26 NLV). Jy weet hoe aaklig asyn is wanneer jy dit net so skoon drink, of hoe irriterend rook is as dit in jou oë kom! Dis hoe irriterend ‘n lui persoon is vir die een wat hom in diens neem. Wat hy ook al doen neem twee keer so lank om klaar te maak en sal oorgedoen moet word of weggegooi moet word – teen dubbel die koste. Sy teenwoordigheid by die werk is erger as sy afwesigheid. Hy vermors sy eie hulpbronne, sowel as almal anders s’n. ‘n Tragiese prent word in Spreuke 24:30-31 geskets: ‘Ek het by ‘n lui mens se landerye verbygeloop. Die wingerd was die eiendom van ‘n onverstandige mens. Onkruid het dit heeltemal ingeneem. Dit was toegegroei onder bossies. Sy klipmuur het omgeval.’ Laat ons egter duidelik wees: Ons moet medelye bewys aan diegene wat as gevolg van regte redes swaarkry. Hulle het ‘n hand wat hulle ophelp nodig. Hulle het meer as kos en klere nodig; hulle kort ‘n doel, waardigheid en self-waarde. Dit is wat God wil hê ons vir hulle moet gee. Abraham Lincoln was nie suksesvol omdat hy in ‘n houthut gebore is nie, hy was suksesvol omdat hy daar uit gekom het. Die kanse is goed dat jy nie in die Withuis sal opeindig nie, maar tensy jy in die armhuis wil opeindig, moenie ‘n luiaard wees nie!
Sielskos: Hand 20-21; Mark 5:1-10; Ps 144:1-8; Spr 11:10-11
2018-04-26
Proverbs 20:4 NKJV
The sluggard sees an obstacle in every opportunity. Though he can’t hold down a job, there’s always a good excuse. The hours are too long, the pay is too little, the work is too hard, people are too demanding – take your pick. And don’t worry, if you don’t like any of those excuses the sluggard has plenty more. Have you heard the one about the lion? Solomon writes, “The lazy man says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!'” (Proverbs 22:13 NKJV). Thomas Edison, the epitome of a worker and the antithesis of a sluggard, said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.” A sluggard is never without an excuse. It’s always too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry to work. “The lazy man will not plow because of winter.” If sluggards harmed only themselves it would be one thing, but they hurt everybody else too. “He who is slothful in his work is a brother to him who is a great destroyer” (Proverbs 18:9 NKJV). Chuck Swindoll says: “That word ‘destroys’ pulsates with liabilities. A lazy employee doesn’t simply hold an organization back; he destroys its motivation and drive. A lazy player doesn’t just weaken the team; he destroys its spirit and diminishes its will to win. A lazy pastor doesn’t merely limit a church, he destroys its enthusiasm, its passion to win souls and meet needs. Before long, everyone must do more to compensate for the sluggard’s negative influence.” So again, the word for you today is: Don’t be a sluggard!
Soul food: Acts 18-19; Mark 4:35-41; Ps 7:10-17; Prov 11:7-9
Spreuke 20:4 NLV
Die luiaard sien elke struikelblok as ‘n geleentheid. Alhoewel hy nie ‘n werk kan behou nie, is daar altyd ‘n goeie verskoning daarvoor. Die ure is te veel, die salaris is te min, die werk is te moeilik, die mense is te veeleisend. Moenie bekommerd wees nie, as jy nie van hierdie verskonings hou nie, het die luiaard nog baie ander om te gee. Het jy al van die leeu gehoor? Salomo skryf, “‘Daar is ‘n leeu daarbuite!’ sê die luiaard. ‘Ek sal gevang word as ek dit buite waag!'” (Spreuke 22:13 NLV). Thomas Edison, die toonbeeld van ‘n goeie werker en die teenoorgestelde van ‘n luiaard, het gesê, ‘Geleenthede word deur die meeste mense gemis omdat dit altyd in werksklere te voorskyn kom en na werk lyk.’ ‘n Luiaard is nooit sonder ‘n verskoning nie. Dit is altyd te warm of te koud, te nat of te droog om te werk. “‘n Luiaard ploeg nie wanneer dit saaityd is nie…” As luiaards net hulself seergemaak het sou dit een ding gewees het, maar hulle maak almal anders ook seer. ‘Iemand wat lui is in sy werk, is die tweelingbroer van die verwoester’ (Spreuke 18:9 NLV). Chuck Swindoll sê: ‘Die woord ‘verwoes’ pols van aanspreeklikheid. ‘n Lui werker hou nie net die maatskappy terug nie; hy verwoes die motivering en dryfkrag daarvan. ‘n Lui speler verswak nie net die span nie, hy verwoes hulle gees en verminder hulle begeerte om te wen. ‘n Lui pastoor beperk nie net ‘n gemeente nie, hy verwoes hulle entoesiasme, hulle passie om siele te wen en aan behoeftes te voldoen. Kort voor lank moet almal anders meer doen om vir die luiaard se negatiewe invloed te vergoed.’ Dus is die woord van vandag vir jou weer: Moenie ‘n luiaard wees nie!
Sielskos: Hand 18-19; Mark 4:35-41; Ps 7:10-17; Spr 11:7-9
