2022-05-06
1 Timothy 4:15 NKJV
“Elisha said: ‘Pick up the arrows and hit the ground with them.’ Jehoash grabbed the arrows… hit the ground three times, then stopped. Elisha became angry at the king and exclaimed, ‘If you had struck it five or six times, you would completely wipe out the Syrians. Now you will defeat them only three times'” (2 Kings 13:18-19 CEV).
Elisha had given Jehoash, the king of Israel, a plan from God for not only defeating his enemy but eliminating them permanently as a future threat. But the plan depended on two important things. First, being fully obedient. Second, being passionate. Jehoash passed the first test but failed the second. He was obedient to what the man of God told him to do, but he didn’t go far enough, and he didn’t put his heart and soul into it. In short, he settled for less than God had planned for him.
Maybe he was tired or distracted… maybe he didn’t listen carefully to the prophet’s instructions… maybe he thought “token obedience” would be as effective as wholehearted obedience. The Bible doesn’t tell us. But this much we do know: He forfeited God’s best because he wasn’t passionate enough.
Don’t miss the lesson here. It’s not enough just to say, “I’ve obeyed the Lord.” You must obey Him wholeheartedly; otherwise, you can end up compromising your future and failing to experience the fullness of what He has in mind for you. Paul bottom-lines it to Timothy in these words: “Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them.” In other words, when God tells you to do something, be passionate (zealous and enthusiastic) about it.
Soul food: Num 7; Matt 6:1-18; Ps 37:8-15; Pro 11:3
1 Timoteus 4:15 NLV
“…Toe kondig Elisa aan:… ‘Vat nou die ander pyle en slaan teen die grond.’ Die koning het hulle opgetel, drie keer geslaan en toe opgehou. Maar die man van God het baie kwaad geword vir hom: ‘Jy moes vyf of ses keer geslaan het!’ roep hy uit. ‘Dan sou jy Aram verslaan en heeltemal verwoes het. Nou sal jy net drie keer oor Aram seëvier'” (2 Konings 13:18-19 NLV). Elisa het vir Joas, die koning van Israel, ‘n plan van God gegee om nie net sy vyand te oorwin nie, maar om hom permanent as ‘n toekomstige bedreiging te elimineer.
Die plan het egter van twee belangrike dinge afgehang. Eerstens, gehoorsaamheid. Tweedens, passievolheid. Joas het die eerste toets geslaag, maar die tweede een gedruip. Hy was gehoorsaam aan wat Elisa vir hom gesê het om te doen, maar hy het nie sy hart en siel daarin gewerp nie. Hy was met minder as wat God vir hom beplan het, tevrede. Miskien was hy moeg of sy aandag was afgelei. Miskien het hy nie mooi na die profeet se instruksies geluister nie. Miskien het hy gedink dat halfhartige gehoorsaamheid net so effektief soos volkome gehoorsaamheid sou wees.
Die Bybel sê nie vir ons wat deur sy gedagtes gegaan het nie. Ons weet wel dat hy God se beste prysgegee het, omdat hy nie passievol genoeg was nie. Dis nie genoeg om te sê: ‘Ek het die Here gehoorsaam,’ nie. Jy moet Hom met jou hele hart gehoorsaam; andersins kan jy jou toekoms in gevaar stel en nie die volheid wat Hy vir jou in gedagte het, ervaar nie. Paulus som dit met hierdie woorde aan Timoteus op: ‘Gee jou volle aandag aan hierdie sake…’ Met ander woorde, wanneer God vir jou sê om iets te doen, wees passievol daaroor.
Sielskos: Num 7; Matt 6:1-18; Ps 37:8-15; Spr 11:3
1 Timothy 4:15 NKJV
In 2 Kings 13 we read: ‘Elisha said: “Pick up the arrows and hit the ground with them.” Jehoash grabbed the arrows and hit the ground three times, then stopped. Elisha became angry at the king and exclaimed, “If you had struck it five or six times, you would completely wipe out the Syrians. Now you will defeat them only three times”‘ (v.18-19 CEV). Elisha had given Jehoash, the king of Israel, a plan from God for not only defeating his enemy, but also eliminating him permanently as a future threat.
But the plan depended on two important things. First, being fully obedient. Second, being passionate. Jehoash passed the first test but failed the second. He was obedient to what God, through Elisha, told him to do, but he didn’t go far enough, and he didn’t put his heart and soul into it. He settled for less than God had planned for him. Maybe he was tired or distracted. Maybe he didn’t listen carefully to the prophet’s instructions. Maybe he thought ‘token obedience’ would be as effective as wholehearted obedience. The Bible doesn’t tell us. But we do know that he forfeited God’s best because he wasn’t passionate enough.
The lesson here is that it’s not enough to just say, ‘I’ve obeyed God.’ We must also obey Him wholeheartedly. If we don’t, we might end up compromising our future and failing to experience the whole of what He has in mind for us. Paul explained it to Timothy with these words: ‘Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them.’ In other words, when God tells us to do something, we need to be passionate and enthusiastic about it.
Num 7; Matt 6:1-18; Ps 37:8-15; Pro 11:3
2022-05-05
2 Corinthians 2:15 NLT
When food in your fridge has gone bad, you know the moment you open the door. And it’s the same with our lives. Have you ever met someone for the first time and just felt there was something a bit ‘off’? People can often sense when they come into contact with someone who’s carrying sin that hasn’t been dealt with. Jesus spoke some harsh words to Peter: ‘Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s’ (Matthew 16:23 NLT). Peter’s sin was pride. He openly contradicted Jesus (see Matthew 16:22).
There are sins of the spirit and sins of the flesh. Peter’s sin was one of the spirit, whereas David’s was one of the flesh that showed itself in adultery and murder. Later David wrote, ‘Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me’ (Psalm 19:12-13 NKJV). God doesn’t want us to become so self-absorbed and introspective that we’re constantly condemning ourselves, but He does want us to learn to be sensitive to sin and deal with it immediately.
The Bible gives us three ways to stay clean in a spiritually polluted world. 1) Walking in the light (see 1 John 1:7). That means striving to be honest in everything we do. 2) Being accountable. We each need someone in our lives who’s mature and trustworthy, gracious enough to put up with our faults, and honest enough to confront us if we’re wandering off God’s path (see Ecclesiastes 4:9). 3) Dealing with your sin right away (see Psalm 32:3-5). When we become conscious of sin, it should lead to a confession of sin, which will result in cleansing of sin. Then we must get back up and go on with God!
Num 4:34-6:27; Matt 5:38-48; Ps 37:1-7; Pro 11:1-2
2 Korintiërs 2:15 NLV
Wanneer kos in jou yskas sleg word, weet jy dit die oomblik wanneer jy die deur oopmaak. Jou lewe is ook so. Wanneer daar iets in die binnekant verkeerd is, kan die mense met wie jy in kontak kom dit dikwels agterkom. Jesus het harde woorde vir Petrus gehad: ‘…Gee pad agter My, jou satan!.. Jy dink soos mense dink – nie soos God nie’ (Matteus 16:23 NLV). Wat was Petrus se sonde? Trots. Hy het Jesus openlik bestraf (sien Matteus 16:22).
Daar is sondes van die gees en sondes van die vlees. Petrus se sonde was ‘n sonde van die gees, terwyl Dawid se sonde van die vlees was, wat in egbreuk en moord gemanifesteer het. Later het Dawid geskryf: ‘…Spreek my vry oor verborge sondes, en bewaar my van opsetlike sondes! Laat hulle nie oor my heers nie…’ (Psalm 19:13-14 NLV).
God wil nie hê dat jy so selfgeabsorbeer en introspektief moet raak tot op die punt waar jy in veroordeling leef nie. Hy wil egter hê dat jy sensitief vir sonde moet wees en dit onmiddellik moet hanteer. Die Skrif gee ons drie maniere om rein in ‘n geestelik-besoedelde wêreld te bly.
1) Lewe in die lig (sien 1 Johannes 1:7). Dit beteken dat jy daartoe strewe om eerlik voor God en mense te wees. 2) Wees verantwoordbaar. Dit beteken dat jy iemand in jou lewe moet hê wat volwasse genoeg is om in jou vertroue geneem te kan word, genadig genoeg is om jou teenstrydighede te verdra en eerlik genoeg is om jou te konfronteer (sien Prediker 4:9). 3) Hanteer jou sonde onmiddellik (sien Psalm 32:3-5). Die oomblik wat jy van sonde bewus word, moet jy dit bely, wat jou dan van die sonde sal suiwer. Dan moet jy opstaan en verder saam met God loop!
Sielskos: Num 4:34-6:27; Matt 5:38-48; Ps 37:1-7; Spr 11:1-2
