2026-05-11
Jakobus 1:4 NLV
Jakobus skryf: ‘…wanneer julle in allerhande beproewings beland, moet julle eintlik baie bly wees. Julle weet mos: Wanneer ‘n mens se geloof ‘n toets deurstaan, veroorsaak dit dat jy kan volhard… Dan sal julle julle lewensdoel bereik en geestelik gesond wees… Vra vir God as jy nie kan agterkom wat Hy wil hê jy moet doen nie… Maar, as ‘n mens bid, moet jy die vertroue hê dat God sal antwoord, want iemand wat twyfel, is soos ‘n brander in die see wat deur die wind aangejaag en heen en weer gedryf word. So iemand kan mos nie dink dat hy iets van die Here sal ontvang nie. Hy is iemand wat nie tot ‘n besluit kan kom nie; op so iemand kan jy nie peil trek nie’ (verse 2-8 NLV).
Let drie dinge in hierdie Skrifgedeelte op:
1) Jou geloof groei wanneer dit getoets word. Jy sal nooit die krag van jou anker ken totdat jy die krag van die storm voel nie.
2) God sal jou die wysheid gee om die toets te hanteer. Hy sal nie noodwendig al jou ‘hoekoms’ beantwoord nie. Jy moet dus eerder bid: ‘Here, hoe wil U hierdie toets gebruik om my geestelik te ontwikkel? Hoe kan ek met U saamwerk om die grootste voordeel hieruit te trek? Watter veranderinge wil U in my lewe teweegbring?’
3) Jy moet gehoorsaam wees. Dit is moontlik om God vir wysheid te vra en dan daaroor te debatteer, te talm en tyd te mors terwyl jy probeer besluit of jy Hom moet gehoorsaam. ‘So iemand kan mos nie dink dat hy iets van die Here sal ontvang nie.’ Wanneer God jou sy wysheid gee, moet jou eerste reaksie wees: ‘…Ja, Here, u dienaar luister’ (1 Samuel 3:10 NLV).
Sielskos: Deut 28-29; Matt 9:27-38; Ps 57; Spr 12:15-17
James 1:4 CEV
James writes: ‘Be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything. If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given you… But when you ask… you must have faith… Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all’ (vv. 2-8).
Note three things in this Scripture:
1) Your faith grows when it’s tested. You’ll never know the strength of your anchor until you feel the blast of the storm.
2) God will give you wisdom to handle the test. Now, He won’t answer all your ‘whys’. So instead of questioning Him, you need to pray, ‘Lord, how do You want to use this trial to develop me spiritually? How can I co-operate with You to reap the maximum benefit? What changes do You desire to bring about in my life?’ Those are questions God will answer.
3) You must be willing to obey. It’s possible to ask God for wisdom, then debate, stall, or mess around trying to decide whether or not to obey Him. ‘If you’re that kind of person… don’t expect the Lord to give you anything at all.’ When God gives you His wisdom, your first response should be: ‘Speak, for your servant is listening’ (1 Samuel 3:10 NIV).
Soul food: Deut 28-29; Matt 9:27-38; Ps 57; Prov 12:15-17
2026-05-10
2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV
Paul wrote: “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (vv. 17-20 NIV).
Sometimes our first reaction to learning that a fellow believer has fallen is to rush to the phone and say, “Did you hear about?” Or point an accusing finger. Or distance ourselves from that person at the very time he or she needs our prayers, love, and support. The Bible says: “Above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins'” (1 Peter 4:8 NKJV). If the hurting cannot find mercy in the family of God, where are they going to find it?
Rather than join those who point accusing fingers, we should be known as those who extend a helping hand. Jesus did that with Simon Peter: “Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32 NKJV). Just as God has repeatedly extended His grace to you when you have fallen short of the mark, He is calling you to extend that same grace to others.
Soul food: Ps 91:1-2; Prov 3:5-6; Jeremiah 17:7-8
2 Korintiërs 5:18 NLV
Paulus het geskryf: ‘Daarom – iemand wat één is met Christus, is ‘n nuwe skepping. Die ou dinge is verby, kyk, die nuwe is hier! Hierdie hele nuwe werklikheid kom van God af, wat ons deur Christus met Homself versoen en aan ons die bediening van die versoening gegee het. Die boodskap van versoening bestaan daarin dat God deur Christus die wêreld met Homself versoen het en nie die mense se oortredings teen hulle hou nie. Die boodskap van die versoening het Hy aan ons opgedra om te gaan verkondig. Ons tree op as ambassadeurs vir Christus terwyl God deur ons ‘n appèl aan julle rig. Ons smeek julle ter wille van Christus: Kom tot versoening met God!’ (verse 17-20 NLV).
Soms is ons eerste reaksie wanneer ons hoor dat ‘n medegelowige geval het, om na die foon te hardloop en te sê: ‘Het jy daarvan gehoor?’ Of om ‘n beskuldigende vinger te wys. Of om onsself van daardie persoon te distansieer op die presiese tydstip wanneer hy of sy ons gebede, liefde en ondersteuning nodig het. Die Bybel sê: ‘Die belangrikste van alles is dat julle mekaar onselfsugtig moet liefhê… Sulke liefde maak baie sondes toe’ (1 Petrus 4:8 NLV).
Eerder as om by diegene aan te sluit wat beskuldigende vingers wys, moet ons bekend staan as mense wat ‘n helpende hand uitsteek. Jesus het dit met Simon Petrus gedoen: ‘…die Satan het ernstig geëis om julle soos koring te kan sif, maar Ek het vir jou gebid dat jou geloof jou nie moet begewe nie. As jy weer tot inkeer gekom het, moet jy jou medegelowiges gaan ondersteun’ (Lukas 22:31-32 NLV). Net soos God herhaaldelik sy genade aan jou bewys wanneer jy te kort skiet, roep Hy jou om dieselfde genade aan ander te bewys.
Sielskos: Ps 91:1-2; Spr 3:5-6; Jer 17:7-8
2026-05-09
Romans 12:6 NKJV
If you study famous musicians, you’ll often find that they learned their craft by playing in a band or orchestra. That’s because certain skills – learning to blend with other instruments, keeping tempo, learning to play louder or softer, following the conductor’s lead – can only be learned by playing with others.
And what’s true of a band or orchestra is even truer of a community of believers. Jesus illustrated this in His famous parable of the talents (see Matthew 25:14-30). One man was given five talents and ended up with ten. Another man was given two talents and ended up with four. A third man was given one talent, and he buried it. In a sense, Jesus was talking about people playing their parts and how important that is to God’s kingdom.
Not everyone plays the same instrument, and not everyone has the same part. Some instruments are louder than others, and some parts are bigger than others. It’s not how much you have that matters to Jesus; it’s what you do with what you have that matters to Him. There are no insignificant talents in God’s kingdom. Our talents may differ in amount, but they all come from the same source.
All Christ wants you to do is play your part. He does not expect the same results, but He does expect the same effort. He never compares you with anyone else. He compares you only with you. He doesn’t look at what you have; He looks at what you do with what you have. So just play your part.
Soul food: Deut 25-27; Matt 9:14-26; Ps 44:17-26; Prov 12:12-14
