2022-05-08
2 Kronieke 25:2 NLV
Die vyand van passie is onverskilligheid. Jy kan deur die bewegings gaan, terwyl jou fokus deur ander dinge onderbreek word. Dis nie dat jy vir God nee gesê het nie; dis dat jy nie weerklinkend ja gesê het nie! ‘Amasia het gedoen wat reg was vir die Here, maar nie met sy hele hart nie.’
Dink daaroor: Op watter punt verlaat passie ‘n huwelik? Dit vind nie oornag plaas nie. Dit gebeur wanneer julle mekaar afskeep en mekaar as vanselfsprekend aanvaar. Miskien dink jy dat jou gebrek aan ywer nie so ‘n groot probleem is nie. Dink weer! Jeremia waarsku: “‘n Vloek rus op elkeen wat lui is om die werk van die Here te doen…” (Jeremia 48:10 NLV). Jy vra: ‘Hoe gebeur dit?’ Die Bybel sê vir ons: ‘Ja, die hart van hierdie volk het verhard geword, en hulle hoor swaar met hulle ore, en hulle het hulle oë toegemaak…’ (Handelinge 28:27 NLV).
Let op wat Jesus vir die eerste en twee laaste kerke in Openbaring gesê het: 1) ‘Maar Ek het hierdie klag teen jou: dat jy jou eerste liefde versaak het. Dink terug aan hoe ver jy uitgesak het en kom tot inkeer, en doen weer wat jy aan die heel begin gedoen het…’ (Openbaring 2:4-5 NLV). 2) ‘Ek ken jou handel en wandel. Ek weet dat jy nie koud of warm is nie. Ek sou wat wou gee as jy maar net koud of warm was. Omdat jy só louwarm is… is Ek op die punt om jou uit my mond te spoeg’ (Openbaring 3:15-16 NLV). Met dit in gedagte, is die woord vir jou vandag – wees passievol daaroor!
Sielskos: Jona 1:10-2:10; Matt 12:38-42
2 Chronicles 25:2 NIV
The enemy of passion is indifference. That’s when we go through the motions, but our focus is broken by other things. It’s not that we’ve said no to God; it’s that we haven’t said a definite and passionate yes to Him. In the Old Testament, King Amaziah ‘did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, but not wholeheartedly.’
Passion doesn’t disappear overnight. It happens when we neglect and take things for granted. We might think lack of passion doesn’t matter too much, but Jeremiah warns about ‘a curse on anyone who is lax (negligent, slack, slipshod) in doing the LORD’s work!’ (Jeremiah 48:10 NIV).
The Bible tells us one source for a loss of passion: ‘This people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes’ (Acts 28:27 NIV). The word ‘calloused’ refers to hard, dead skin that slowly builds up on the soles of your feet until you can’t walk properly or without pain. Jesus told the first and last two churches in Revelation: 1) ‘I hold this against you: you have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first’ (Revelation 2:4-5 NIVUK). 2) ‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth’ (Revelation 3:15-16 NIV). So with those verses in mind, let’s resolve to be passionate about God’s plans!
Jonah 1:10-2:10; Matt 12:38-42
2022-05-07
Psalm 39:3 CEV
David wrote, ‘I felt a fire burning inside, and the more I thought, the more it burned, until at last I said: “Please, LORD, show me my future”‘ (v.3-4 CEV). Passion is like fire; unless you feed it and tend it, it’ll die. Try asking yourself this question: on a scale of one to ten, how wholehearted are you about serving God?
Before you answer, think about these Scriptures: ‘Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength’ (Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV). ‘Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart’ (Psalm 119:2 NIV). ‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding’ (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). ‘You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart’ (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV). ‘Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you’ (2 Timothy 1:6 NIV). ‘”Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him’ (Luke 8:39 NIV). ‘Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church’ (1 Corinthians 14:12 NIV). ‘To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me’ (Colossians 1:29 NIV). ‘Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 3:13-14 NIVUK).
All these Scriptures can be reduced to one sentence: be passionate about what God has called you to do.
Num 8-10; Matt 6:19-34; Ps 37:16-24; Pro 11:4
Psalm 39:4 NLV
Dawid het geskryf: “Dit het in my begin kook. Terwyl ek nagedink het, het ek kwaad geword, en toe het ek begin praat: ‘Here, sê my tog wanneer is my einde…'” (verse 4-5 NLV). Passie is soos ‘n vuur; tensy jy dit voed en stook, sal dit doodgaan. Op ‘n skaal van een tot tien, hoe heelhartig dien jy die Here?
Voor jy antwoord, dink oor die volgende Skrifgedeeltes na: ‘Jy moet die Here jou God liefhê met jou hele hart, met jou hele siel en met al jou krag’ (Deuteronomium 6:5 NLV). ‘Geseënd is hulle wat sy waarskuwings gehoorsaam, Hom met volle oorgawe dien’ (Psalm 119:2 NLV). ‘Vertrou op die Here met alles wat jy het. Moenie staatmaak op jou eie insigte nie’ (Spreuke 3:5 NLV). ‘As julle heelhartig na My soek, sal julle My vind’ (Jeremia 29:13 NLV). ‘Dit is waarom ek jou daaraan herinner om die geestelike gawe, wat God jou gegee het… soos ‘n vuur aan te blaas’ (2 Timoteus 1:6 NLV). “‘Nee, gaan terug na jou familie toe en vertel vir hulle al die wonderlike dinge wat God vir jou gedoen het.’ Hy het toe deur die hele dorp loop en vertel watter groot dinge Jesus vir hom gedoen het” (Lukas 8:39 NLV). ‘So moet julle ook… daarop konsentreer om uit te munt in dié gawes wat die gemeente opbou’ (1 Korintiërs 14:12 NLV). ‘Hiervoor werk en stry ek met Christus se krag wat in my aan die werk is’ (Kolossense 1:29 NLV). ‘…ek vergeet dit wat agter my lê, en strek my uit na dit wat voorlê. Ek jaag wenpaal toe, na die hemelse prys wat God aan my wil gee omdat Christus Jesus dit vir my verdien het’ (Filippense 3:13-14 NLV).
Al hierdie Skrifgedeeltes kan in een sin opgesom word: Wees passievol oor dit wat God jou geroep het om te doen.
Sielskos: Num 8-10; Matt 6:19-34; Ps 37:16-24; Spr 11:4
Psalm 39:3 CEV
David wrote, “I felt a fire burning inside, and the more I thought, the more it burned, until at last I said: ‘Please, Lord, show me my future'” (vv. 3-4 CEV). Passion is like fire; unless you feed it and stoke it, it will die.
Question: On a scale of one to ten, how wholehearted are you about serving the Lord? Before you answer, think about these Scriptures: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart… all your soul and… all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV). “Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart” (Psalm 119:2 NIV). “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5 NIV). “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13 NIV). “Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6 NIV). “‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’ So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him” (Luke 8:39 NIV). “Since you are eager for gifts of the Spirit, try to excel in those that build up the church” (1 Corinthians 14:12 NIV). “To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:29 NIV). “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV).
All these Scriptures can be reduced to one sentence: Be passionate about what God has called you to do.
Soul food: Num 8-10; Matt 6:19-34; Ps 37:16-24; Pro 11:4
