2022-04-07
John 4:34 CEV
Instead of confining Jesus to church on Sunday, let’s study His work philosophy (attitude, values, and beliefs) on how to get things done. The principles He lived by call for these: (1) Being clear about your assignment. He said, “I must finish the work… he gave me to do.” Jesus understood that focus maximizes skill and opportunity. So if you’re talented, energetic, and active and you’re still not seeing concrete results, your problem may be lack of focus. When Nehemiah was rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, his enemies said, “Come, let us meet together” (Nehemiah 6:2 NKJV). That’s when Nehemiah sent back this message: “I am doing a great work, so… I cannot come down” (v. 3 NKJV).
(2) Prioritizing tasks in the order of their importance. When you don’t do what has to be done according to its importance, jobs start to arrange themselves according to their urgency. And when that happens, you miss great opportunities. The Bible says Jesus “needed to go through Samaria” (John 4:4 NKJV). To the disciples, this probably looked like a diversion because it wasn’t the shortest route to where they wanted to go. But there was a woman in Samaria Jesus wanted to redeem; a vessel through which he reached the entire city with the gospel. Bottom line: Jesus was clear about his priorities. Are you?
(3) Creating a definitive timetable. In other words, set deadlines and stick with them. Jesus knew He had only three-and-a-half years to get the job done, and He made every day count. One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is, “I’ll get to it later.” To succeed in life, let Jesus’ work philosophy become your master plan.
Soul food: Lev 11:1-13:37; Luke 22:24-38; Ps 50:16-23; Pro 9:12
Johannes 4:34 NLV
In plaas daarvan om Jesus tot die kerk op Sondae te beperk, kom ons bestudeer sy werksfilosofie (houding, waardes en beginsels) oor hoe om dinge gedoen te kry. Die beginsels waarvolgens Hy geleef het, verg die volgende:
1) Om duidelikheid oor jou opdrag te hê. Jesus het verstaan dat fokus nodig is om vaardighede en geleenthede ten volle te benut. As jy dus talentvol, energiek en aktief is en steeds nie konkrete resultate sien nie, mag jou probleem dalk ‘n gebrek aan fokus wees. Toe Nehemia besig was om Jerusalem se mure te herbou, het sy vyande ‘n boodskap gestuur en gesê: ‘…Kan ons mekaar… ontmoet?…’ (Nehemia 6:2 AFR83). Nehemia het egter geantwoord: ‘…Ek is met ‘n groot taak besig, ek kan nie nou daarmee ophou en julle ontmoet nie'(vers 3 NLV).
2) Om jou take in die volgorde van belangrikheid te prioritiseer. Wanneer jy nie die belangrikste take eerste doen nie, begin take hulself volgens hulle dringendheid reël. Wanneer dit gebeur, loop jy groot geleenthede mis. Die Bybel sê Jesus: ‘…moes deur Samaria reis’ (Johannes 4:4 NLV). Vir sy dissipels het dit seker soos ‘n afleiding gelyk, want dit was nie die kortste roete na hulle bestemming nie. Daar was egter ‘n vrou in Samaria wat Jesus wou verlos; iemand deur wie Hy ‘n hele stad met die evangelie sou bereik. Jesus was duidelik oor sy prioriteite. Is jy?
3) Om ‘n noukeurige rooster te skep. Met ander woorde, stel spertye vir jouself en hou daarby. Jesus het geweet dat Hy net drie-en-‘n-half jaar gehad het om sy werk te doen en Hy het elke dag laat geld. Een van die grootste leuens wat ons vir onsself vertel is: ‘Ek sal later daarby uitkom.’ Om sukses in die lewe te behaal, moet jy Jesus se werksfilosofie as jou bloudruk aanneem.
Sielskos: Lev 11:1-13:37; Luk 22:24-38; Ps 50:16-23; Spr 9:12
2022-04-06
2 Timothy 1:7 MSG
The foundation of good leadership is security. Paul told Timothy, “God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.” You must know with certainty that God called you, equipped you, and guaranteed your ultimate success. And you must keep this in mind when people stop liking you, when funding drops, when morale dips, and others reject you. If you feel insecure, fear will eventually cause you to sabotage your own leadership.
Confident leaders see what is, while maintaining their vision of what can be. They’re rarely content with things the way they are. As President Ronald Reagan once quipped, “Status quo… is Latin for ‘the mess we’re in!'” By definition, “to lead” is to be out in front, breaking new ground, vanquishing new worlds, and proceeding away from the status quo.
Dissatisfaction with the status quo doesn’t mean having a bad attitude or complaining; it has to do with a readiness to be different and to take risks. A person who won’t risk change is someone who fails to grow. A leader who loves the status quo is someone who soon turns into a follower. Raymond Smith of Bell Atlantic Corporation once remarked, “Administrators are easy to find and cheap to keep. Leaders – risk takers – are in very short supply. And the ones with vision are pure gold.”
Many people are more comfortable dealing with old troubles than doing what it takes to find new solutions; risk seems dangerous to them. The secret lies in having a winning attitude – one that comes from being secure in who you are and what you have been called to do. Think about it!
Soul food: Lev 8-10; Luke 22:14-23; Ps 50:1-15; Pro 9:10-11
2 Timoteus 1:7 DB
Die fondasie van goeie leierskap is selfversekerdheid. Paulus het vir Timoteus gesê: ‘Die Heilige Gees, wat deur God aan ons gegee is, is nie lafhartig nie, maar sterk. Hy maak ons ook sterk, gee vir ons liefde vir ander en help ons om nie verkeerde dinge te doen nie.’ Jy moet met sekerheid weet dat God jou geroep het, toegerus het en jou uiteindelike sukses gewaarborg het. Jy moet dit ook in gedagte hou wanneer ander mense nie meer van jou hou nie, wanneer die fondse opdroog, wanneer moraal afneem en ander mense jou verwerp. As jy onseker voel, sal vrees uiteindelik veroorsaak dat jy jou eie leierskap saboteer.
‘n Selfversekerde leier sien wat tans is, terwyl hulle hulle visie van wat kan wees, handhaaf. Hulle is selde tevrede met die huidige stand van sake. By definisie beteken om ‘te lei’ om voor te loop, nuwe grond te breek, nuwe wêrelde te oorwin en weg van die status quo af te beweeg. Ontevredenheid met die status quo beteken nie dat jy ‘n slegte houding het of kla nie; dit het te make met die gewilligheid om anders te wees en risiko’s te neem. ‘n Persoon wat nie die risiko van verandering wil onderneem nie, is iemand wat nie groei nie.
‘n Leier wat lief is vir die status quo, is een wat gou in ‘n volgeling verander. Baie mense is meer gemaklik daarmee om met ou probleme te sukkel as om nuwe oplossings te vind; risiko lyk vir hulle onveilig. Die geheim lê daarin om ‘n oorwinnende houding te hê – een wat in die versekering van wie jy is en wat jy geroep is om te doen, te vinde is. Dink daaroor!
Sielskos: Lev 8-10; Luk 22:14-23; Ps 50:1-15; Spr 9:10-11
2 Timothy 1:7 MSG
If we want to be good demonstrators of God’s love, good motivators, and good role models, we first need to be secure in our identity. Paul told Timothy, ‘God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.’ We must be certain that God called us, equipped us, and guaranteed our ultimate success in fulfilling His plan. It’s important that we keep all this in mind when people stop liking us, when things don’t go the way we expect, when our morale dips, and when others reject us.
If we feel insecure, fear will eventually get the better of us and prevent us from reaching our full potential. We need to try and see the reality now, while keeping hold of our God-given vision of what can be. We shouldn’t settle for keeping things the way they are, because God constantly wants us to break new ground for Him.
Being dissatisfied with the way things are doesn’t mean having a bad attitude or complaining; it has to do with a willingness to be different and step out of what’s ‘normal’. A person who won’t risk change is someone who fails to grow. Many people are more comfortable dealing with old troubles than doing what it takes to find new solutions; risk seems dangerous to them.
We might draw our security from the fact that we’re used to the old ways of doing things; but real security comes from following and trusting God’s plans, because He knows what the end result will be. The best attitude for life is one that comes from being secure in who we are in God’s eyes and knowing what He’s called us to do.
Lev 8-10; Luke 22:14-23; Ps 50:1-15; Pro 9:10-11
