2018-08-06
Klaagliedere 3:23 NLV
Kardinaal J.H. Newman, ‘n Katolieke filosoof, het gesê: ‘Moenie bang wees dat jou lewe tot ‘n einde sal kom nie, maar eerder dat dit nooit ‘n begin sal hê nie.’ Dit is wat kan gebeur as jy toelaat dat vrees ‘n houvas op jou lewe kry. Die meeste van ons vrese is werklik ongegrond. Navorsing het selfs al getoon dat vyf-en-negentig persent van dit wat ons vrees, ongegrond is. Ons moet eenvoudig leer om met die res saam te lewe. Miskien het Gertrude Stein die beste benadering gehad. Sy het gesê: ‘As jy dink hoe gevaarlik alles is, is niks eintlik vreesaanjaend nie.’ Die lewe het geen waarborge nie. Mense probeer hulself met baie dinge beskerm: alarms, reisigertjeks, aspirien, sambrele, ‘n GPS-stelsel, lugsakke. Die waarheid is egter dat die lewe gevaarlik is, dat dit jou gesondheid benadeel en jou uiteindelik sal doodmaak. Jy kan dus net sowel met oorgawe lewe. Shakespeare het gesê, ‘He is not worthy of the honeycomb who shuns the hive because the bees have stings.’ Moenie dat vrees jou daarvan weerhou om klein treë in jou ontwikkeling te gee nie. Jy weet nooit waarheen hulle mag lei nie. Daar is twee dinge wat altyd saam met ons in die lewe teenwoordig is: vrees en geloof. Elke dag wat jy leef, kies jy die een of die ander. Jeremia het geloof gekies. Hy het geskryf: ‘Deur die Here se troue liefde is ons nie doodgemaak nie. Hy hou nooit op om vir ons om te gee nie. Sy liefde het geen einde nie. Op u ontferming kan ‘n mens altyd vertrou. Dit is elke oggend nuut… My lewe behoort aan die Here, Ek kan op Hom vertrou. Die Here is goed vir hulle wat hoop op Hom en vra wat Hy wil hê’ (verse 22-25 NLV).
Sielskos: 1 Kro 1-2; Luk 11:14-28; Ps 78:56-64; Spr 20:7-10
Lamentations 3:22-23 KJV
Cardinal J. H. Newman said, “Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but that it shall never have a beginning.” If you let fear take over your life, you’ll never fully live. The truth is that many of our fears are totally unfounded. Haven’t you found that to be so? Studies show that 95 percent of what we fear is baseless, and the rest are things we must learn to live with. Perhaps the best approach is to adopt the attitude of the poet Gertrude Stein, who said, “Considering how dangerous everything is, nothing is really frightening.” Humanly speaking, there are no guarantees in life. We look to many things to protect us: insurance policies, burglar alarms, travelers’ checks, aspirin, umbrellas, GPS systems, and airbags. But the truth is that life is dangerous, damaging to your health, and will eventually kill you. So you might as well live to the fullest. Shakespeare said, “He is not worthy of the honeycomb who shuns the hive because the bees have stings.” Don’t let fear keep you from taking small steps in your development. You never know where they may lead. There are two things that are ever-present with us in life: fear and faith. And every day you live, you choose one or the other. Jeremiah chose faith. He wrote: “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion…therefore I hope in Him! The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him” (vv. 22-25 NKJV).
Soul food: 1 Chr 1-2; Luke 11:14-28; Ps 78:56-64; Prov 20:7-10
2018-08-05
Psalm 139:14 NLV
Daar word die verhaal vertel van ‘n man met ‘n buitengewone vrees vir donderweer wat ‘n psigiater daaroor besoek het. ‘Jy ly aan brontofobie,’ sê die psigiater. ‘Dit is werklik laf om op jou ouderdom nog vir donderweer bang te wees. Dink daaraan as die tromme in die simfonie van die lewe.’ ‘Maar sê nou dit help nie?’ vra die man. ‘Dan moet jy maar maak soos ek maak. As jy donderweer hoor, stop watte in jou ore, kruip onder jou bed en sing jou gunstelingliedjie so hard as wat jy kan totdat die donderweer ophou.’ Die meeste mense se vrese is nie op feite gegrond nie, maar op gevoelens. Vrees is onrealistiese verwagtings wat realisties lyk. Jy moet verder kyk as jou irrasionele gevoelens en die verwagtings daaragter ontdek. As jy byvoorbeeld in armoede grootgeword het, mag jy dalk bang wees om vrygewig te wees. As jy deur iemand verlaat is, mag jy bang wees om mense te vertrou, of jy mag aan mense vasklou en hulle probeer beheer. As jy mishandel is, mag jy dalk emosionele en fisiese intimiteit vrees. As jy nie mooi of intelligent voel nie, of nie uit ‘n hoë-klas familie uit kom nie, mag jy dalk bang wees om met mense te meng of met hulle te praat, uit vrees dat hulle dalk op jou sal neerkyk. James Thurber, die Amerikaanse humoris, het geskryf: ‘Almal moet probeer om voor hul dood uit te vind waarvan hulle weghardloop en waarheen en waarom.’ Dawid het nie net die bron van sy vrese vasgestel nie, maar ook die bron van sy selfwaarde en sekuriteit: ‘Ek loof U omdat U my so besonder wonderbaarlik gemaak het. U werke is wonderbaar…’ Wanneer jy weet dat jy God se goedkeuring het, begin jou vrese doodgaan.
Sielskos: Joh 1:1-14; Matt 4:12-16; Matt 5:14-16; Hand 9:1-19
Psalm 139:14 NKJV
The story’s told of a man who had a morbid fear of thunder, so he went to see a psychiatrist. “You have a condition called brontophobia,” the doctor said. “It’s silly to be afraid of thunder at your age. Just think of it as a drum roll in the symphony of life.” “What if that doesn’t work?” the man asked. The psychiatrist replied, “Then do what I do. When you hear thunder, stuff cotton wool in your ears, crawl under the bed, and sing ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’ at the top of your lungs until the thunder stops.” Seriously, most fears are based on feelings, not facts. Try to look beyond your fears and uncover the expectations that lie beneath them. For example, if you were raised in poverty you may be afraid to be generous. If you were abandoned you may be afraid to trust anyone, or you may cling to people and try to control them. If you were abused you may fear emotional and physical intimacy. If you were constantly criticized you may be afraid that God won’t forgive you. If you don’t feel beautiful or intelligent, or you’re not from a high-class family, you may be afraid to mix with people or talk to them in case they look down on you. American humorist James Thurber wrote, “All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and to, and why.” David not only pinpointed the source of his fears, but the source of his self-worth and security: “I…praise You, for I am…wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works.” When you know you have God’s approval, your fears begin to die.
Soul food: John 1:1-14; Matt 4:12-16; Matt 5:14-16; Acts 9:1-19
2018-08-04
Acts 3:4 NKJV
The Bible says: “A certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms from those who entered the temple; who, seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, asked for alms. And fixing his eyes on him…Peter said, ‘Look at us.’ So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. Then Peter said, ‘Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.’ And he took him by the right hand and lifted him up, and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. So he, leaping up, stood and walked and entered the temple with them – walking, leaping, and praising God” (vv. 2-8 NKJV). This miracle begins with the words: “And fixing his eyes on him…Peter said, ‘Look at us.'” And it continues with the words: “He took him by the right hand and lifted him up.” In certain Zulu areas of South Africa, people greet each other with a phrase that means “I see you.” Could this be God’s strategy for human hurt? First, kind eyes meet desperate ones. Next, strong hands help weak ones. Then, the miracle of God. We do our small part, He does the big part, and life at the Beautiful gate begins to be just that – “beautiful.” To serve others you must first see them, and to lift them you must first love them because you know Jesus does.
Soul food: 1 John 3:11-5:21; Luke 11:1-13; Ps 78:40-55; Prov 20:4-6
