2021-01-12
Acts 20:24 NLT
To live your best life you need two things – purpose and persistence. And if you ask Him, God will help you develop them.
(1) Let’s look at purpose. On the historic monument commemorating the life of author Jack London, who wrote the classic White Fang, are these words: “I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze than that it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The function of a man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” To make a difference in this world you must discover your God-given assignment, and commit yourself to it 100 percent. Paul did that. “My life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus – the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”
(2) Let’s look at persistence. It took Sir Winston Churchill three years to get through the eighth grade because he had trouble learning English. Yet his speeches during World War II inspired and galvanized Britain to fight and win in the face of overwhelming odds. When he was asked to give the commencement address at Oxford University, he delivered the shortest speech on record – just six words. “Never give up! Never give up!! And those words are the essence of purpose and persistence.
Soul food: Exo 25-27; Matt 6:9-18; Ps 71:17-24; Prov 2:3-5
2021-01-11
Romans 1:12 NCV
Did you know that trees communicate with each other? They use a network of fungi in their roots to create a support system that allows them to share resources and send out warnings. A tree that’s being attacked by insects can send a warning to other trees. A tall tree that gets plenty of sunlight can send vital nutrients to shaded saplings. Alone they’re more vulnerable, but together they can grow, thrive, and withstand problems. It’s a great illustration of how God wants His church to function.
‘The whole body depends on Christ, and all the parts of the body are joined and held together. Each part does its own work to make the whole body grow and be strong with love. (Ephesians 4:15-16 NCV). Often, we want to work alone, especially if we’re a more independent type. But sooner or later, we’ll come up against a problem that makes us realise our need for:
1) Encouragement. Even Paul needed cheering on. He wrote: ‘Everyone in Asia has left me, even Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord show mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, who has often helped me and was not ashamed that I was in prison. When he came to Rome, he looked eagerly for me until he found me’ (2 Timothy 1:15-17 NCV).
2) Sympathy. We all need to be understood and have our feelings validated. But sometimes we’re in such a hurry to ‘fix’ people, we forget to sympathise with them.
3) Grace. ‘Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others’ (Colossians 3:13 NLT). God’s grace to us should motivate us to show grace to others, and we’ll never be asked to show more grace to someone than God has already shown to us.
Exo 22-24; Matt 6:1-8; Ps 71:1-16; Prov 2:1-2
Romeine 1:12 ABA
Die volgende keer wat jy in ‘n woud stap, stop en dink aan wat reg onder jou voete plaasvind. Soos die wortels van die bome aan mekaar skakel, vorm hulle ‘n ondersteuningstelsel. Een het toegang tot water, ‘n ander tot voedingstowwe en nog ‘n ander tot sonlig. Nie een van die bome het alles nie, maar saam kan hulle groei, floreer en die storms van die lewe teëstaan. ‘…en so [sal ons] in alle opsigte groei om soos Christus te wees. Dit werk so: Christus is die Hoof… Elke liggaamsdeel vervul sy bestemde funksie, en so, deur liefde te bewys, bou die liggaam homself op’ (Efesiërs 4:15-16 NLV).
Sommige van ons sukkel met hierdie konsep. Ons wil alleen vlieg totdat ons neerstort en dan besef ons dat ons ‘n behoefte het aan:
1) Bemoediging. Selfs Paulus het bemoediging nodig gehad: ‘…al die Christene wat uit die provinsie Asië hier aangekom het, [het] my in die steek gelaat… Mag die Here ontferming aan Onesiforus en sy hele huishouding bewys, want hulle het my dikwels besoek en bemoedig. Hy was nooit skaam omdat ek in die tronk is nie. Toe hy na Rome toe gekom het, het hy oral gesoek totdat hy my gekry het’ (2 Timoteus 1:15-17 NLV).
2) Simpatie. ‘…Julle moet regtig jammer wees vir ander mense…’ (Kolossense 3:12 ABA). Ons almal wil verstaan word en bevestiging van ons gevoelens ontvang. Soms is ons so haastig om mense ‘reg te ruk’ dat ons nie tyd het om met hulle te simpatiseer nie.
3) Genade. ‘…Vergewe mekaar soos die Here julle vergewe het’ (Kolossense 3:13 NLV). Wat motiveer ons om genade aan ander te bewys? God se genade aan ons! Onthou, jy sal nooit gevra word om meer genade aan iemand te bewys, as wat God reeds aan jou bewys het nie.
Sielskos: Eks 22-24; Matt 6:1-8; Ps 71:1-16; Spr 2:1-2
Romans 1:12 NCV
Next time you take a walk in the woods stop and think about what is taking place right under your feet. As the roots of the trees connect with each other they form a support system. One has access to water, another to nutrients, and another to sunlight. No single tree has it all, but together they can grow, thrive, and withstand the storms of life. “Then we will grow in every way to be more like Christ, the head of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love” (Ephesians 4:15-16 CEV). Some of us independent types have difficulty with this concept. We want to fly solo until we crash, and then we realize our need for:
(1) Encouragement. Even Paul needed cheering on: “Everyone in Asia has turned against me, especially Phygelus and Hermogenes. I pray that the Lord will be kind to the family of Onesiphorus. He often cheered me up and wasn’t ashamed of me when I was put in jail. Then after he arrived in Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me” (2 Timothy1:15-17 CEV).
(2) Sympathy. “Be sympathetic” (Colossians 3:12 GWT). We all need to be understood and have our feelings validated. But sometimes we are in such a hurry to “fix” people we don’t have time to sympathize with them.
(3) Grace. “Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (v. 13 NLT). What motivates us to extend grace to others? God’s grace to us! Remember, you will never be asked to extend more grace to someone than God has already extended to you.
Soul food: Exo 22-24; Matt 6:1-8; Ps 71:1-16; Prov 2:1-2
2021-01-10
Habakkuk 2:3 NIV
Before leaving our study on obstacles to answered prayer, let’s be clear about one thing: some of our unanswered prayers have been answered. The answer is “wait.” But because we don’t like the answer, we keep hoping God will have a change of heart. The truth is God won’t change His mind to accommodate us. So we have two options: (1) Keep complaining to Him. (2) Start cooperating with Him.
When the prophet Habakkuk needed an answer to his prayers in order to give direction to Israel, what did God tell him? Wait! “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it…Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (vv. 2-3 NIV).
God works according to His own plan and schedule, and He won’t be rushed. When you try to get ahead of Him you always end up in trouble. Abraham did that, and the end result was Ishmael. That’s when Abraham’s troubles began in earnest!
Other times God answers our prayers and says, “No.” He knows what you can handle and when you’ll be ready to handle it, and He won’t give it to you before then. Paul said, “Three times I pleaded with the Lord…But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness'” (2 Corinthians12:8-9 NIV). Instead of delivering Paul from his problem, God used it to develop him. Without his thorn in the flesh to counterbalance his great talent and potential pride, Paul wouldn’t have been nearly so effective in the service of God. Think about it!
Soul food: 1 Sam 17:4-51; Eph 6:10-18
