2019-03-06
Philippians 1:23 NIV
Imagine boarding a plane for your dream vacation when suddenly the pilot announces, “Welcome aboard. After take-off we’ll serve you a wonderful meal and do all we can to make your flight enjoyable. However, I need to tell you – we have no destination. That’s right; we’re just going to keep flying until we run out of fuel and drop into the ocean.” No matter how wonderful the journey is, what’s the point if there’s no destination? God’s Word says, “If our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world” (1 Corinthians 15:19 NLT). Thank God there’s more! It’s called heaven. And it’s “better by far” than anything we’ve experienced in this life. If you’re wondering what we’ll do when we get there, the Bible says we’ll serve the Lord (See Revelation 22:3). You won’t be issued a halo, a long woolly robe, and a harp, and be assigned to sit on a cloud and strum for all eternity. No, we’ll each serve the Lord in different capacities. Think of it: no midlife crisis, no downsizing, and no burnout. On earth we fail, we get tired, we get frustrated, and our motives are mixed. But not there! Can you imagine serving the One you love most, doing the thing you enjoy most, and doing it in a body that’s forever energized? That’s heaven! And the ultimate bliss will be seeing Jesus face to face. “I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15).
Soul food: Exo 30-32; Luke 14:15-24; Ps 106:24-48; Prov 7:3-5
Filippense 1:23 NLV
Verbeel jouself jy klim op die vliegtuig na jou droomvakansie, wanneer die vlieënier skielik aankondig: ‘Welkom aanboord. Nadat ons opgestyg het, sal ons ‘n wonderlike maaltyd bedien en alles in ons vermoë doen om jou vlug genotvol te maak. Ek moet egter noem dat ons geen bestemming het nie. Dis reg; ons gaan net aanhou vlieg totdat ons petrol opraak en ons in die oseaan neerstort.’ Maak nie saak hoe wonderlik die reis is nie, wat is die punt daarvan as ons geen bestemming het nie? God se Woord sê: ‘As ons egter op niks meer sou kon hoop as dat Christus ‘n verskil sal maak aan ons huidige lewe nie, sou ons definitief die bejammerenswaardigste mense onder die son wees!’ (1 Korintiërs 15:19 NLV). Dank Vader daar is meer! Dit word die hemel genoem, en dit is ‘verreweg die beste.’ As jy wonder wat ons gaan doen as ons daar aankom, sê die Bybel dat ons die Here sal dien (sien Openbaring 22:3). Jy gaan nie ‘n stralekrans, ‘n wollerige kleed en ‘n harp ontvang om vir ewig op ‘n wolk te sit nie. Nee, ons sal die Here in verskillende kapasiteite dien. Dink daaraan: geen middeljarige krisis nie, geen afskaling by die werk nie en geen uitbranding nie. Op aarde misluk ons en raak moeg en gefrustreerd. Nie in die hemel nie! Kan jy jou indink om die Een vir wie jy die liefste is, te dien, deur die ding te doen wat jy die meeste geniet, in ‘n liggaam wat vir ewig energie het? Dis die hemel! Die wonderlikste geluk sal wees om Jesus van aangesig tot aangesig te sien. ‘Maar omdat ek reg gedoen het, sal ek U sien. Wanneer ek wakker word, sal ek tevrede wees in U teenwoordigheid’ (Psalm 17:15 NLV).
Sielskos: Eks 30-32; Luk 14:15-24; Ps 106:24-48; Spr 7:3-5
2019-03-05
1 Corinthians 3:9 NIV
The biggest plus factor you can have on your job is the God factor. Paul writes, “We are labourers together with God.” Consider these three powerful words: “together with God.” A surgeon in a large city hospital had a habit of insisting on a few minutes alone before he performed an operation. He had an outstanding reputation, and one of the young doctors who worked with him wondered if there might be a correlation between this habit of spending time alone and the man’s success. He asked the surgeon about it and he answered, “Yes. Before each operation I ask the Great Physician to guide my hands in their work. There have been times when I didn’t know what to do next in a surgery, and then came the power to go on – power I knew came from God. I would not think of performing an operation without asking His help.” The surgeon’s words quickly spread through the hospital, then across the country. One day a father brought his daughter to the hospital, insisting that the only doctor he would allow to touch her was “the one who worked with God.” The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV). Note, it doesn’t say don’t “use” your understanding – it says don’t “lean” on it. Instead, lean on God. “Acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your steps.” If you want success on the job, this is a proven formula for achieving it.
Soul food: Exo 28-29; Luke 14:1-14; Ps 106:1-23; Prov 7:1-2
1 Korintiërs 3:9 AFR53
Die grootste positiewe faktor wat jy in jou werk kan hê, is die God-faktor. Paulus skryf: ‘Ons is medewerkers van God…’ Ons werk saam met God. ‘n Chirurg in ‘n groot stadshospitaal het die gewoonte gehad om op ‘n paar minute alleen aan te dring voordat hy ‘n operasie uitgevoer het. Hy het ‘n uitstekende reputasie gehad en een van die jong dokters wat saam met hom gewerk het, het gewonder of daar dalk ‘n verband tussen sy gewoonte om alleen tyd te spandeer en sy sukses kon wees. Hy het die chirurg daaroor uitgevra en hy het geantwoord: ‘Ja. Voor elke operasie vra ek die Groot Geneesheer om my hande in hulle werk te rig. Daar was al tye wat ek nie geweet het wat om volgende in ‘n operasie te doen nie en dan het die krag skielik aan gekom – krag wat ek weet van God af gekom het. Ek sou nooit poog om ‘n operasie sonder Sy hulp aan te pak nie.’ Die chirurg se woorde het vinnig deur die hospitaal en toe deur die land versprei. Een dag het ‘n pa sy dogter na die hospitaal gebring en daarop aangedring dat die enigste dokter wat aan haar kon raak, ‘die een wat saam met God werk,’ moes wees. Die Bybel sê: ‘Vertrou op die Here met alles wat jy het. Moenie staatmaak op jou eie insigte nie. Vra na die wil van God in alles wat jy doen. Hy sal die regte pad vir jou wys’ (Spreuke 3:5-6 NLV). Let wel op dat dit nie sê dat jy nie jou eie insigte moet gebruik nie – dit sê net dat jy nie daarop moet staatmaak nie. Maak eerder op God staat. Dit is die formule om sukses in jou werk te bereik.
Sielskos: Eks 28-29; Luk 14:1-14; Ps 106:1-23; Spr 7:1-2
2019-03-04
Isaiah 30:21 NIV
How many times has something inside urged you to do a certain thing, but instead you allowed the voice in your head to overrule the voice in your spirit? That inner voice is your spiritual intuition, the part of you God speaks to. The Bible says, “Your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.'” John the apostle put it this way: “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 John 2:20 NKJV). Learn to trust that “anointing” because it will tell you: (a) what you need to do; (b) when you need to act; (c) what direction to take; (d) what changes you need to make. What a gift – yet we seldom use it! Somebody said, “Too much analysis leads to paralysis.” We’re afraid we couldn’t possibly know something without thinking it through, or because it seems too obvious. We think, “That can’t be right. I couldn’t possibly do that.” We argue for our limitations, and as a result they become our limitations! Learn to recognize and trust your spiritual intuition. It’s your connection to the greatest source of wisdom in the universe – God’s wisdom. And don’t be surprised when what you hear in your spirit sounds like what you’ve thought many times but paid no attention to. The Bible says, “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). So next time your spiritual intuition tells you something and it lines up with Scripture, don’t be afraid to act on it!
Soul food: Exo 25-27; Luke 13:18-35; Ps 136; Prov 6:30-35
