2025-10-06
Psalm 90:12 NLT
A woman once had a dream in which an angel was giving her this message: “As a reward for your virtues, the sum of $1,440 will be deposited into your bank account every morning. This amount has only one condition. At the close of each business day, any balance that has not been used will be cancelled. It won’t carry over to the next day or accrue interest. Each morning, a new $1,440 will be credited to you.”
The dream was so vivid that when she woke up, she asked the Lord to explain what it meant. He led her to understand that she was receiving 1,440 minutes every morning – the entire number of minutes in a twenty-four-hour day. What she did with this deposit of time was important because 1,440 minutes per day were all she would ever receive! And you have a similar account. At the close of each day, you should be able to look back with joy and satisfaction and see that those golden minutes were invested wisely.
Someone has said, “Time is God’s gift to you, but what you do with your time is your gift to God.” And it’s true. The psalmist wrote: “Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away… Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom… And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful” (vv. 10, 12, 17 NLT).
Soul food: Lev 23:33-44; John 7:1-40; Zech 14:16-21; Heb 11:8-16
2025-10-05
Eksodus 4:4 NLV
Moses het sy herderstok op die grond neergegooi en dit het in ‘n slang verander (sien vers 3). Hy was so bang dat hy wou weghardloop. Toe het God egter vir hom gesê: ‘Gryp dit aan sy stert!’
Een Bybelonderwyser wys die volgende uit: ‘Gedurende jou opleidingsreis deur die wildernis, sal jy waarskynlik dink dat God jou op die verkeerde pad lei; dat Hy goed sê wat nie sin maak nie. Sy bevele gaan nie gewoonlik met ‘n verduideliking gepaard nie. Wanneer jy nie kan agterkom wat Hy besig is om te doen nie, moet jy Hom vertrou. Nadat Moses die slang aan sy stert opgetel het, het dit weer ‘n herderstok geword. Dit het van ‘n eenvoudige herderstok in ‘n stok waarmee God vir Moses ‘n teken gegee het, verander (sien Eksodus 4:1-20; 17:9).
God het die slang in Moses se herderstok verwyder. Moses moes die een ding waarop hy kon staat maak – sy ou, bekende, beproefde herdersstok – prysgee. God mag jou van sekere dinge stroop sodat jy jou afhanklikheid aan Hom kan besef. Hierdie stroping gaan egter met krag gepaard. Daar is dinge waaraan jy wil vashou wat jy moet loslaat, sodat God die slang daarin kan verwyder.’
Waaraan hou jy vandag vas? ‘n Begeerte om ‘n onderwyser te wees?’n Musikale talent? ‘n Aanleg vir besigheid? Leierskapseienskappe? Neem jou gawe, wat dit ook al mag wees, en gooi dit voor God op die grond neer. Hy is die enigste een wat weet of daar ‘n slang daarbinne skuil. Hy kan die ‘vleeslike’ element verwyder, dit seën en vir jou ‘n instrument wat vir diens geskik is, teruggee.
Sielskos: Est 4:9-5:3; Heb 4:7-16
Exodus 4:4 NIV
In Pharaoh’s palace, Moses threw down his rod and “it became a snake” (v. 3 NIV). He was so scared; he ran from it. Then God said, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail,” leaving the head, the most dangerous part, unrestrained.
One Bible teacher points this out: “During your training trip through the wilderness, you’ll probably think God is leading you the wrong way; that He’s saying something that doesn’t make sense. His commandments aren’t usually accompanied by explanation. And when you can’t figure out what He’s doing, you must trust Him. Once Moses picked up the snake by its tail, it became a rod once more, and it was never again referred to as ‘the rod of Moses,’ but ‘the rod of God’ (See Exodus 4:1-20; 17:9).
When Moses released it, the snake element was taken out of it, and it became God’s rod. The one thing Moses thought he could trust, his old, familiar, tried-and-true shepherd’s rod, had to be relinquished. And God may strip you of certain things to let you see your dependence on Him. But with that stripping comes power. There are things you want to hold on to that you have to release so God can remove the snake.”
So, what are you holding on to today? A desire to teach? Musical talent? An aptitude for business? Leadership abilities? Take your gift, whatever it is, and “throw it on the ground” (v. 3 NIV) before God. He is the only one who knows if there is a snake hiding inside it. He can remove the “flesh” element, bless it, and give it back to you as an instrument fit for service.
Soul food: Est 4:9-5:3; Heb 4:7-16
2025-10-04
1 Johannes 4:18 NLV
God het jou te alle tye onvoorwaardelik lief – maar jy moet sy liefde ontvang. Eers wanneer jy dit doen, kan jy God terug liefhê en sy liefde aan ander bewys. Met ander woorde, jy kan nie dit wat jy nie het, weggee nie! ‘…[God] het sy liefde mos in ons harte uitgestort deur sy Heilige Gees wat Hy aan ons gegee het’ (Romeine 5:5 NLV). Dit beteken dat wanneer jy jou lewe aan Christus wy, die Heilige Gees in jou hart kom bly en God se liefde saam met Hom bring.
Die vraag is: Wat doen jy met daardie liefde? Verwerp jy dit omdat jy dink dat jy nie goed genoeg is nie? Johannes sê: ‘Ware liefde het nie plek vir vrees nie; volwasse liefde dryf die vrees uit…’ (1 Johannes 4:18 NLV).
Een skrywer sê: “Ek het jare lank probeer om in ‘volmaakte liefde’ te wandel en het daagliks daarin misluk. Ek het gedink volmaakte liefde verwys daarna om ander mense perfek lief te hê. Toe het God egter vir my gewys dat die enigste ‘volmaakte liefde’ sy liefde vir my was – Hy is die enigste een wat perfek kan liefhê! Toe dit vir my duidelik begin word het, het ek begin bely: ‘Ek is nie lief vir alles wat ek doen nie, maar ek is lief vir myself soos ek is, want God het my so lief. Ek weet ek moet verander en ek wil verander. Trouens, ek glo dat God my daagliks verander. Ek sal egter intussen dit wat God aanvaar, nie verwerp nie. Ek sal myself aanvaar soos ek tans is, met die wete dat ek nie altyd so sal bly nie.'”
God het jou lief – glo dit en ontvang dit!
Sielskos: 2 Sam 3:22-7:17; Joh 1:43-51; Ps 23; Spr 23:4-5
1 John 4:18 NIV
God loves you unconditionally at all times – but you must receive His love. Only when you do that can you love God in return and extend His love to others. In other words, you can’t give away what you don’t have! “God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5 AMPC). That means when you commit your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live in your heart, and He brings God’s love with Him.
The question is, what are you doing with that love? Are you rejecting it because you think you’re not good enough? Has it ever occurred to you that you have a relationship with yourself, and until you learn to love yourself you will never be able to love God or anybody else? John says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18 NIV).
One author writes: “I tried for years to walk in ‘perfect love’ and failed daily. I thought perfect love referred to my loving others perfectly. Then God showed me that the only ‘perfect love’ was His love for me – He’s the only one that can love perfectly! Once that became clear, I started confessing, ‘I don’t love everything I do, but I love myself as I am because God loves me that way. I know I need to change, and I want to change. In fact, I believe God is changing me daily. But meanwhile, I will not reject what God accepts. I’ll accept myself as I am right now, knowing I won’t always remain this way.”
God loves you – believe it and receive it!
Soul food: 2 Sam 3:22-7:17; John 1:43-51; Ps 23; Prov 23:4-5
