2022-04-04
Josua 1:9 NLV
Omdat God geweet het watter oorloë hy sou moes veg om die Beloofde Land in te neem, het Hy vir Josua gesê: ‘My opdrag aan jou is dat jy sterk en dapper moet wees…’ Jy sal altyd struikelblokke in jou pad hê wanneer jy vorentoe wil beweeg. H.G. Wells het gevra: ‘Wat op aarde sal ‘n man met homself doen, as iets nie in sy pad staan nie?’ Wat het hy daarmee bedoel? Dat teëspoed jou vriend is – selfs wanneer dit soos jou vyand voel. Elke struikelblok waarvoor jy te staan kom, openbaar jou sterkpunte en swakhede.
Die digter Ralph Waldo Emerson het geskryf: ‘Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.’
Enige tyd wat jy jou gemaksone verlaat en ‘n tree in geloof neem om God te volg, sal jy getoets word. Jy sal egter hoogtes bereik wat jy gedink het buite jou bereik is en verder gaan as ander mense wat meer talent het, maar met die status quo tevrede is. Paulus sê vir ons: ‘Ons gee nooit moed op nie, ook nie wanneer ons rondgestamp en mishandel word nie. Nee, dan byt ons eers vas, want God is die hele tyd by ons… Ons bietjie swaarkry hier en nou weeg nie op teen al die goeie dinge wat op ons wag in God se nuwe wêreld nie…’ (2 Korintiërs 4:16-17 DB).
Dapperheid is wanneer jy eenvoudig nie opgee nie.
Sielskos: Lev 1-4; Luk 21:25-38; Ps 18:30-50; Spr 9:7
2022-04-03
Romans 6:14 MSG
If you want to grow roses, you must declare war on weeds; otherwise, they will run amok in your garden. In other words, you must beware of weeds! There is a spiritual parallel at work here, and it’s this: Unless you deal decisively with sin, it will take over your life.
Paul puts it like this: “Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life – no longer at sin’s… beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God…. That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time – remember, you’ve been raised from the dead! – into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God” (vv. 6-14 MSG).
So, the word for you today is – say no to sin!
Soul food: Josh 2:1-24; Acts 9:20-30
Romeine 6:14 NLV
As jy rose wil kweek, moet jy oorlog teen onkruid voer; andersins sal hulle jou tuin oorneem. Met ander woorde, jy moet die onkruid uitroei! Daar is ‘n geestelike parallel wat hier getrek kan word: Tensy jy sonde beslissend hanteer, sal dit jou lewe oorneem.
Paulus stel dit so: ‘Ons weet dat ons ou sondige self saam met Christus gekruisig is sodat die sonde se mag oor ons verbreek kan word en ons nie meer slawe van die sonde sal wees nie. Want as iemand sterf, word hy vry van die mag van die sonde. Aangesien ons saam met Christus gesterf het, weet ons dat ons ook deel sal hê aan sy lewe. Ons weet dit omdat Christus uit die dood opgewek is en nooit weer sal sterf nie. Die dood het geen mag meer oor Hom nie. Hy het eens en vir altyd vir die sonde gesterf en nou leef Hy vir God. Julle moet dus ook verseker weet dat julle vir die sonde dood is, en nou vir God lewe deurdat julle één is met Christus. Julle moenie langer toelaat dat sonde julle aardse lewe beheer nie; moenie toegee aan sy verleidelike begeertes nie. Julle is betrokke in ‘n geestelike oorlog. Moenie langer julle liggaamlike vermoëns as wapens van ongeregtigheid vir die sonde beskikbaar stel nie, maar stel julleself voortdurend vir God beskikbaar omdat julle uit die dood weer lewendig geword het. Stel al julle liggaamlike vermoëns as wapens van geregtigheid tot God se beskikking. Die sonde mag hoegenaamd nie oor julle heerskappy voer nie. Julle leef immers nie meer onder die verslawende mag van die wet nie, maar onder die bevrydende mag van die genade’ (verse 6-14 NLV).
Die woord vir jou vandag is dus – sê nee vir sonde!
Sielskos: Josh 2:1-24; Hand 9:20-30
Romans 6:14 MSG
One of the most important jobs in a garden is getting rid of weeds; if they’re left, they get out of control, choke the other plants, and quickly take over. Gardeners know to beware of weeds and remove them as soon as they appear. There’s a spiritual parallel here: unless we’re firm, decisive, and uncompromising with sin, it’ll take over our whole life.
The Message paraphrases Paul’s words like this: ‘Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life – no longer captive to sin’s demands! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God…. That means you must not give sin a vote in the way you conduct your lives. Don’t give it the time of day. Don’t even run little errands that are connected with that old way of life. Throw yourselves wholeheartedly and full-time – remember, you’ve been raised from the dead! – into God’s way of doing things. Sin can’t tell you how to live. After all, you’re not living under that old tyranny any longer. You’re living in the freedom of God’ (v.6-14 MSG).
So today, let’s say no to sin and weed it out of our lives.
Josh 2:1-24; Acts 9:20-30
2022-04-02
Galatians 5:22 TLV
Panic and anxiety are often our first reactions to conflict and problems. In those initial moments, choosing peace seems impossible. Our subconscious whispers, ‘If you really care, you will worry.’ But an experienced counsellor writes: ‘Don’t panic! No matter what the situation or circumstance, we usually have… a moment to breathe deeply and… let peace flow through our body and mind… Panic, not the task, is the enemy.’
Anxiety just empowers and enlarges the problem. Our best resource for problem-solving is always peace. Fear and anxiety block solutions; answers flow more easily and naturally from a peaceful state of mind. And God’s peace is always available to us. It’s one of the fruits of the Spirit. Paul wrote, ‘When the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce… in us… peace’ (among other things).
Jesus said, ‘Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]’ (John 14:27 AMP). That means we can choose peace over inner conflict. In the same verse, Jesus also said, ‘Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you’ (v.27 AMP).
But just because Jesus left us His peace doesn’t mean it’ll automatically function in us. We first need to accept that peace. When we lose our peace, it’s harder to hear from God. Paul said, ‘Let the peace of Christ [the inner calm of one who walks daily with Him] be the controlling factor in your hearts’ (Colossians 3:15 AMP). So instead of getting anxious and panicky when we face challenges today, let’s try to choose the peace God promises.
Phil 3-4; Luke 21:12-24; Ps 18:1-29; Pro 9:4-6
