2021-04-12
Acts 2:39 NCV
The idea of family is a complicated one. Some families are exactly what they’re supposed to be, reflecting what God intended for our relationships here on earth. Other families are the opposite, they’re not always easy to be a part of.
But the structure of having dependable people around us, relationships with equal amounts of give and take, is a God-given one. Whether we find that in our blood relatives, or in a chosen family made up of friends, we need a small, close selection of others around us to count on. That’s why diving into our church family is so important. Whatever our home situation looks like, we can depend on our church to be our family. Psalm 133:1 reads: ‘How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!’ (NIV).
Obviously, like any family, our churches aren’t always full of unity but they should always be full of love. They give us a place to build something that matters, and to pass on our own unique gifts and knowledge. Psalm 145:4 reminds us to ‘let each generation tell its children of [God’s] mighty acts; let them proclaim [His] power’ (NLT).
As well as providing us with a support system of people who care for us, our churches give us a chance to fulfil that instruction. We have somewhere that we can take the promises that God has given to us and pass them on. The promise that Peter’s referring to in today’s title verse is the promise of us receiving the Holy Spirit. That is the most important gift that we could ever share with those around us.
Lev 21:1-23:25; Mark 1:29-34;
Ps 50:1-15; Prov 10:3
Handelinge 2:39 NLV
Elke familie het unieke en verskillende sterkpunte. Jy kan ‘n erflating aan jou kinders gee deur die waardes, insigte en liefde wat jou familie tot op hede gebring het waar julle is, aan hulle oor te dra. Deur ‘n sin van geskiedenis te hê, kan jy in hulle ‘n begeerte inspireer om die grootsheid te laat voortbestaan. Jy moet hulle vertel hoe jy dit deur jou Jordaanrivier gemaak het en jou beloofde land binnegegaan het.
Dit is noodsaaklik om elke familielid se gawes te beklemtoon. Daar is iets in elke persoon wat hom of haar bo die ander laat uitstaan. Almal van ons het spesiale talente en almal van ons wil graag hoor wat ons goed doen. Ons moet die uniekheid van elke familielid herken en verbaliseer.
Ons moet beklemtoon dat alhoewel ons deel van ‘n goeie familie is, ons nie deur ons erfenis beperk word nie; ons het die vryheid en die vermoë om ons eie individuele gawes uit te oefen. Inspireer jou familie om trots te wees op waar hulle vandaan kom, waar hulle is en waar hulle kan gaan. Ons verlede bind ons aan mekaar, maar dis die individuele lede wat hulle unieke gawes gebruik en hulle spesifieke rolle vervul, wat ‘n familie veerkragtig maak en vir hulle ‘n sterk toekoms in die beloftes van God gee. ‘Hierdie belofte is bedoel vir julle en julle kinders…’
Moenie die laaste skakel in die ketting wees nie. Moenie toelaat dat dit by jou eindig nie. Neem die seëninge wat God in jou geplaas het en gee hulle oor aan jou kinders – en ook aan jou kleinkinders.
Sielskos: Lev 21:1-23:25; Mark 1:29-34; Ps 50:1-15; Spr 10:3
2021-04-11
Philippians 2:3 NKJV
You can learn to love and accept someone, without necessarily agreeing with their opinions and endorsing their actions or lifestyle. An important key is learning to see people as individuals. The more we realize that despite certain differences we’re all human and all created by our Father in His image, the freer we become to focus on our common needs. When we don’t understand someone else’s motives, views, or personality, it’s easy to assume the worst about them and project irritation and anger.
Communication and trust go a long way toward increasing our patience and understanding toward those who do things differently from us. You can provide these two things in a relationship by simply asking the right questions. Too often we’re afraid to ask someone where they’re coming from, or what the problem is. Or when we do ask, we do it in a way that only increases the fear and hostility the other person is experiencing. If we ask with kindness, or at least in a respectful and gracious manner, we free the person to open up and we get to know them better. Keeping a sense of humor can help smooth things out if there’s discord or conflict. Such a constructive exchange builds trust, which increases the probability for more and better communication between the two of you.
The Bible sets the bar high when it comes to loving and accepting others: Paul says, “If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT).
Soul food: 2 Chr 7:12-16; Matt 6:5-15; Luke 18:1-8
Philippians 2:3 NCV
We can learn to love and accept someone without necessarily agreeing with their opinions or endorsing their actions or lifestyle. An important key is learning to see people as individuals. The more we realise that we’re all human and all created by our Father in His image, the easier it is to focus on what we’ve got in common rather than focusing on the differences.
When we don’t understand someone else’s motives, views, or personality, it’s easy to assume the worst about them and become irritated and angered by them. But communication and trust go a long way towards increasing our patience and understanding towards those who do things differently from us. We can show patience and understanding by simply asking the right questions. We’re often afraid to ask someone why they think or act the way they do. And if we do ask, we might do it in a way that just increases the fear and hostility that the other person is feeling. If we ask with kindness, or at least in a respectful and gracious manner, we free the person to open up and we get to know them better. Keeping a sense of humour can help smooth things out if there’s disagreement or conflict. Constructive conversations build trust, which increases the chances of more and better conversations to come.
The Bible sets the bar high when it comes to loving and accepting others: Paul said, ‘If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal’ (1 Corinthians 13:1 NLT). So let’s make the effort to show patience and understanding to everyone, even those we find difficult to get along with.
2 Chr 7:12-16; Matt 6:5-15; Luke 18:1-8
Filippense 2:3 NLV
Jy kan leer om iemand lief te hê en te aanvaar, sonder om noodwendig met hulle opinies saam te stem of hulle dade of leefstyle goed te keur. ‘n Belangrike sleutel om dit reg te kry, is om mense as individue te sien. Hoe meer ons besef dat ons ten spyte van ons verskille almal menslik is en deur ons Vader volgens sy beeld geskep is, hoe vryer word ons om op ons gemeenskaplike behoeftes te fokus. Wanneer ons nie iemand anders se beweegredes, sienings of persoonlikheid verstaan nie, is dit maklik om die ergste oor hulle aan te neem en irritasie en woede te projekteer.
Kommunikasie en vertroue help baie om ons geduld en begrip teenoor ander wat anders as ons is, te vermeerder. Jy kan hierdie twee dinge in ‘n verhouding verskaf deur bloot die regte vrae te vra. Te dikwels is ons bang om iemand te vra waar hulle vandaan kom, of wat die probleem is. Of wanneer ons dit wel vra, doen ons dit op so ‘n manier wat net die vrees en vyandigheid wat die ander persoon ervaar, verhoog. As ons vriendelik vra, of ten minste op ‘n eerbiedige manier, maak ons dit vir die ander persoon makliker om oop te maak en leer ons hulle beter ken. ‘n Konstruktiewe gesprek bou vertroue, wat die waarskynlikheid van meer en beter kommunikasie tussen julle verhoog.
Die Bybel stel ‘n hoë standaard vir ons om ander mense lief te hê en te aanvaar. Paulus sê: ‘Al sou ek enige taal op aarde of selfs in die hemel kon praat, maar ek kom die liefde kort, het ek ‘n galmende trom of ‘n klinkende simbaal geword’ (1 Korintiërs 13:1 NLV).
Sielskos: 2 Kro 7:12-16; Matt 6:5-15; Luk 18:1-8
