2022-02-02
Matthew 4:19 NLT
Even when other people don’t see your potential, Jesus does. He told Simon Peter and Andrew, ‘Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!’ Where everyone else just saw ordinary fishermen, Jesus saw the capacity to change the world. There are two sides to following Him: you believe in Jesus, and He believes in you.
But we can have doubts. When Nathaniel was invited to meet Jesus, he was doubtful: ‘Philip found Nathaniel and told him, “We have found the man that Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about him. He is Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” But Nathaniel said to Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see”‘ (John 1:45-46 NCV).
Even after witnessing Jesus’ miracles for three years, His disciples still had doubts and moments of uncertainty. Several times He said to them, ‘You of little faith.’ He knew they were anxious about what would happen when He left them and went back to heaven, so He said, ‘I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever (John 14:16 NCV). The Greek word for helper (or comforter) is parakletos, which means ‘one who comes alongside to help you’. And the helper God sent was the Holy Spirit.
There’ll never be a day when we don’t need God’s help, and there’ll never be a day when it isn’t available to us. The truth is, even when we doubt, don’t believe, or find it difficult to trust, Jesus never gives up on us. He loves us at all times and wants to help us. Today, know that Jesus believes in you!
Rom 12-14; Luke 7:24-35; Ps 107:33-43; Pro 3:27-28
2022-02-01
1 Johannes 3:1 NLV
Wanneer jy met ‘n gevoel van verwerping sukkel, kan dit in dinge soos die volgende manifesteer:
1) Jy raak perfeksionisties. Dit werk egter nie, omdat ander mense se behoeftes en verwagtinge so van mekaar verskil dat dit onmoontlik is om almal gelukkig te hou.
2) Jy is tevrede met minder. Jy verdra verwaarlosing en mishandeling omdat jy dink dis wat jy verdien. Of jy is bang dat dit dalk jou laaste kans op ‘liefde’ mag wees.
3) Jy raak aggressief. Verwerping kan voel asof jy aangeval word terwyl dit nie regtig die geval is nie, maar jy trek jou bokshandskoene aan en begin appels swaai.
4) Jy hou ‘n onversetlike front voor. Gevolglik sluit jy jouself van ander mense af, jou fisiese, geestelike en emosionele behoeftes ly daaronder en jy voel eensaam.
5) Jy beloof jouself dat jy nooit weer iemand naby genoeg aan jou gaan toelaat om jou seer te maak nie. Dit klink goed in teorie, maar deur ander mense uit te sluit, sluit jy jouself af en al jou verhoudings ly daaronder.
6) Jy trek die verkeerde mense aan. So lank as wat jy met ‘n verminderde sin van selfwaarde rondloop, sal jy altyd die verkeerde mense aantrek. Die waarheid is, wanneer jou self-waarde op enige ander opinie as God s’n gebaseer word, sal jy altyd weerloos teenoor verwerping wees en jy sal nooit die unieke en wonderlike persoon wat God jou gemaak het om te wees, ontdek nie.
Wat is dus die antwoord? Johannes sê vir ons: ‘Kyk net hoe ‘n groot liefde die Vader aan ons betoon het. Dit is dat Hý ons sy kinders noem, en ons is dit beslis ook…’ (vers 1 NLV). Jy kan verwerping oorkom deur te begin verstaan en aanvaar hoe baie God jou liefhet en hoe hoog Hy jou ag.
Sielskos: Rom 9:17-11:36; Luk 7:11-23; Ps 107:23-32; Spr 3:25-26
1 John 3:1 CEV
Rejection can come from all kinds of sources, and most of us will experience it at some point. We might have a university or job application rejected. An idea we’ve had or a piece of work we’ve done might be rejected. We might experience rejection in a relationship. When we’re struggling and hurting with the pain of rejection, it can often show itself in things like these:
1) Perfectionism. But this doesn’t fulfil us, because we’re not perfect – only God is – so we’ll never reach the impossibly high standards we’ve set for ourselves.
2) People pleasing. But other people’s needs and expectations vary so much, which makes it impossible for us to keep everyone happy.
3) Becoming defensive. Rejection can feel very much like a personal attack (even if it’s not meant to be), so we try to protect ourselves by attacking back. But harsh words spoken with an angry temper just escalate the problem.
4) Isolation. We want to protect ourselves, so we might try to distance ourselves from others to avoid being criticised and rejected again. But that can lead to loneliness and bitterness, as well as missing out on some of the great connections God’s planned for us.
Rejection is never an easy thing to take. But there’s one thing we can be sure of: God will never reject us. He values every one of us. We’re unique, wonderfully made by Him. ‘Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are.’ When we accept how much He loves and values us, other people’s opinions won’t matter nearly as much to us.
Rom 9:17-11:36; Luke 7:11-23; Ps 107:23-32; Pro 3:25-26
1 John 3:1 CEV
When you struggle with a sense of rejection, it will manifest itself in things like these:
(1) Perfectionism. But it doesn’t work, because other people’s needs and expectations vary so much that it’s impossible to make everybody happy.
(2) Settling for less. You put up with neglect and abuse because you think it’s what you deserve. Or you’re concerned this may be your only chance at “love.”
(3) Becoming aggressive. Rejection can feel like you’re being attacked when you’re not, so you put on your boxing gloves and come out swinging.
(4) Putting up a tough front. You tell yourself, “I can handle it…Who needs other people anyway?” As a result, you shut yourself off from others and your physical, spiritual, and emotional needs go unmet and you feel lonely.
(5) Vowing never again to let anyone get close enough to hurt you. That sounds good in theory, but by closing people out, you close yourself in and all your relationships suffer.
(6) Attracting the wrong people. As long as you behave with a diminished sense of self-worth, you will keep attracting the wrong people.
The truth is, when your self-worth is based on any opinion other than God’s, you will always be vulnerable to rejection. Criticism will diminish you, failing will keep you from trying again, and what’s worse, you will never discover the unique and wonderful person God made you to be.
So, what’s the answer? John tells us, “Think how much the Father loves us. He loves us so much that he lets us be called his children, as we truly are” (v. 1 CEV). Overcoming rejection starts with understanding and accepting how much God loves and values us.
Soul food: Rom 9:17-11:36; Luke 7:11-23; Ps 107:23-32; Pro 3:25-26
