2024-06-30
Spreuke 29:18 NLV
‘n Pastoor skryf: ‘Die tweede wet van termodinamika bevat hierdie fisiese waarheid: As dinge aan hul eie lot oorgelaat word, beweeg alles in die heelal na wanorde en verval. Karre roes en kos word sleg. Dit word ook die wet van entropie genoem. Die enigste manier om entropie te voorkom, is om ‘n eksterne energiebron te gebruik om dit teen te werk. Die tegniese term hiervoor is negentropie. Die yskas is ‘n goeie voorbeeld. Jy prop dit in en dit produseer koue lug wat keer dat kos sleg word. As die yskas van sy energiebron ontkoppel word, sal entropie weer oorneem en die kos sal begin sleg ruik. Is dit nie wat gebeur wanneer ons van God ontkoppel word nie? Ons lewens beweeg na verval en wanorde. Hoe kan ons dus ons entropiese neigings oorkom? Salomo sê: ‘Wanneer ‘n volk nie duidelikheid het oor die wil van God nie, word hulle koersloos…’ As sonde entropie is, dan is dit negentropie om ons energie in ‘n Godgegewe visie te belê.’
Miskien spruit baie kerkprobleme nie uit ‘n oorvloed van sonde nie, maar eerder uit ‘n gebrek aan visie uit? Dit beteken nie dat daar nie sondeprobleme is nie, of dat daardie probleme nie hanteer moet word nie. Daar is egter in te veel gevalle nie genoeg visie om kerke besig te hou nie. Ons visie is nie groot genoeg om al ons energie te eis nie, dus fokus ons op klein probleme om ons besig te hou. Dieselfde geld op persoonlike vlak. As ons ‘n groter visie gehad het van dit wat God in ons en deur ons wou bereik, sou ons probleme minder word, omdat dit deur ‘n saak groter as onsself verteer sou word.
Sielskos: Matt 5:6; Jes 55:1-7; Ps 63:1-5; Joh 4:1-34
Proverbs 29:18 KJV
A pastor writes: “The second law of thermodynamics states this physical truth: If left to their own devices, everything in the universe moves toward disorder and decay. Cars rust. Food rots… It’s also called the law of entropy. And the only way to prevent entropy is to introduce an outside energy source to counteract it. The technical term for this is negentropy. And the refrigerator is a good example. You plug it into an electrical outlet, and it produces cold air that keeps food from rotting. If the refrigerator gets disconnected from its energy source, entropy will take over again. And things will get smelly.
Isn’t that what happens when we get disconnected from God? Life moves toward decay and disorder. So how do we overcome our entropic tendencies?… [Solomon answers,] ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish.’ If sin is entropy, then investing our energies in a God-sized vision is negentropy. The word perish comes from the Hebrew word para, and ‘entropy’ is a fair translation.”
Perhaps many church problems don’t come from an abundance of sin but rather from a lack of vision? We’re not suggesting that there aren’t sin problems or that those problems don’t need to be dealt with. But in too many instances, there isn’t enough vision to keep churches busy. Our vision isn’t big enough to demand all our energies, so we focus on petty problems to keep us busy. The same is true on a personal level. If we had a larger vision of what God wanted to accomplish in us and through us, our problems would diminish because we are consumed by a cause greater than ourselves.
Soul food: Matt 5:6; Isa 55:1-7; Ps 63:1-5; John 4:1-34
2024-06-29
Prediker 7:10 NLV
Nog twee redes hoekom ons verandering teenstaan, is die volgende: 1) Omdat dit ongemaklik en vreemd voel. Wanneer laas het jy iets vir die eerste keer probeer? Kan jy dit spesifiek noem? As jy nie kan onthou nie, het jou gemaksone dalk in ‘n groef verander. ‘n Bord op ‘n muur het twee stellings op gehad. Die eerste stelling het ‘n groot X daardeur gehad. Dit het gelees: ‘As dit nie stukkend is nie – moenie dit regmaak nie.’ Die tweede stelling het gelees: ‘As dit nie stukkend is nie – breek dit!’ Soms is die enigste manier om uit jou groef te kom, om daaruit te breek.
2) Omdat ons aan tradisie vasklou. Die Fariseërs kon nie Jesus se waarheid ontvang nie, omdat hulle deur hulle tradisies gebind was. Baie van ons klou steeds aan tradisie vas. Ons neem aan dat indien iets ‘n tradisie (‘n lang gevestigde gedragspatroon) is, moet dit die beter manier wees om dinge te doen. Dit is nie noodwendig so nie, soos die bewerkers van verandering Thomas Edison en Henry Ford gedemonstreer het. Vraag: Hoeveel tradisionaliste neem dit om ‘n gloeilamp om te ruil? Vier: een om dit te ruil en drie om te staan en gesels hoe wonderlik die ou gloeilamp was! As ‘n tradisie jou aan ander mense en jou persoonlike geskiedenis verbind, kan dit ‘n goeie ding wees. As dit nie doen nie, is dit dalk tyd om iets nuuts te probeer.
Die Bybel sê: ‘Die pad van die regverdiges… word al helderder totdat die volle dag aanbreek. Die pad van die goddeloses is soos stikdonker. Hulle weet nie eers waaroor hulle geval het nie’ (Spreuke 4:18-19 NLV). Watter veranderinge moet jy in jou lewe maak?
Sielskos: 1 Sam 1-3; Luk 3:1-10; Ps 59:1-8; Spr 16:20-22
Ecclesiastes 7:10 NIV
Two more reasons we resist change are these: (1) Because it feels awkward and uncomfortable. When was the last time you tried something for the first time? Can you name it specifically? If you can’t remember, your comfort zone may have turned into a rut. A sign on a wall contained two statements. The first had an X through it. It said, “If it ain’t broken – don’t fix it.” The second read, “If it ain’t broken – break it!” Sometimes the only way to “get out of the box” is to break out.
(2) Because we cling to tradition. The Pharisees could not receive the truth Jesus shared because they were bound by their traditions. And many of us still cling to tradition. We assume that if something is a tradition (a long-established pattern of behavior), it has to be a better way. That’s not necessarily so, as change agents like Thomas Edison and Henry Ford demonstrated. Question: How many traditionalists does it take to change a light bulb? Four: one to change it, and three to talk about how wonderful the old light bulb was!
Bottom line: When a tradition connects you to other people or to your personal history, it can be good. If it doesn’t, maybe it’s time to try something new. The Bible says, “The way of the righteous… shines ever brighter until the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over” (Proverbs 4:18-19 NLT). So, what changes do you need to make in your life?
Soul food: 1 Sam 1-3; Luke 3:1-10; Ps 59:1-8; Prov 16:20-22
2024-06-28
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
What happens when you try to implement change at the wrong time? For that matter, when is the right time to do it? From a leadership perspective, there are actually better times than others to make changes.
Dr. John Maxwell, who wrote the best seller The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, says: “I developed the following checklist to help me navigate the process: Will this [change] benefit the followers? Is [it] compatible with the purpose of the organization? Is this change specific and clear? Are the top 20 percent (the influencers) in favour of [it]? Is it possible to test this change before making a total commitment to it? Are physical, financial, and human resources available to make this change? Is [it] reversible? Is this change the next obvious step? Does [it] have both short- and long-range benefits? Is the leadership capable of bringing about this change? Does everything else indicate the timing is right? Before implementing a big change, I run through this checklist and answer each question with a yes or no. If too many questions have a no by them, then I conclude that the timing may not be right.”
Timing is so important. The Bible says: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven… He has made everything beautiful in its time” (vv. 1, 11 NKJV). If you’re thinking of making a change, talk to God “the timekeeper” and ask Him (1) what should I do? and (2) when should I do it? Then step out in faith and trust Him to guide you!
Soul food: Song 5-8; Luke 2:41-52; Ps 21; Prov 16:16-19
