2023-10-14
Psalm 119:130 NIV
President Woodrow Wilson said: “I am sorry for men who do not read the Bible every day; I wonder why they deprive themselves of the strength and of the pleasure. It is one of the most singular books in the world, for every time you open it, some old text that you have read a score of times suddenly beams with a new meaning. There is no other book that I know of, of which this is true; there is no other book that yields its meaning so personally, that seems to fit itself so intimately to the very spirit that is seeking its guidance.”
If you want to get the most out of your Bible, ask these questions:
(1) Is there a warning to heed?
(2) Is there a promise to claim?
(3) Is there a sin to forsake?
(4) Is there a command to obey?
(5) Is there a lesson to learn?
(6) Is there a principle to apply?
(7) Is there an example to follow?
As you ask yourself these seven questions, keep a journal to write down the answers God gives you, and you will be amazed at the wisdom you glean. You will be thrilled by the success principles you learn. Your anxieties will begin to lift, your mind will clear, and you will experience peace.
John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1 NIV). Notice the phrase “the Word was God.” The more you read your Bible, the more of God’s presence and power you will experience. You might even adopt the old slogan used by American Express: “Don’t leave home without it.”
Soul food: Eph 4:17-6:24; John 3:22-36; Ps 89:15-37; Prov 23:15-18
Psalm 119:130 NLV
President Woodrow Wilson het gesê: ‘Ek voel jammer vir die mense wat nie elke dag die Bybel lees nie; ek wonder hoekom hulle hulleself van die krag en plesier daarvan ontneem. Dit is een van die mees unieke boeke ter wêreld, want elke keer as jy dit oopmaak, straal een of ander teks wat jy al ‘n hele paar keer gelees het skielik met ‘n nuwe betekenis. Daar is geen ander boek waarvan ek weet waarvan dit waar is nie; daar is geen ander boek wat die betekenis daarvan so persoonlik gee, wat lyk asof dit so intiem pas by die einste persoon wat leiding soek nie.’
As jy die meeste uit jou Bybel wil kry, vra jouself die volgende vrae af: 1) Is daar ‘n waarskuwing om op ag te slaan? 2) Is daar ‘n belofte om op te eis? 3) Is daar ‘n sonde om te laat vaar? 4) Is daar ‘n bevel om te gehoorsaam? 5) Is daar ‘n les om te leer? 6) Is daar ‘n beginsel om toe te pas? 7) Is daar ‘n voorbeeld om te volg?
Soos jy jouself hierdie sewe vrae afvra, hou ‘n notaboek byderhand en skryf die antwoorde wat God jou gee neer. Jy sal verbaas wees oor die wysheid wat jy daaruit ontvang. Jou angs sal begin minder word, jou gedagtes sal opklaar en jy sal vrede ervaar. Johannes skryf: ‘Heel aan die begin het die Woord reeds bestaan. Die Woord was by God, en die Woord was self God’ (Johannes 1:1 NLV). Let die frase: ‘die Woord was self God,’ op. Hoe meer jy jou Bybel lees, hoe meer sal jy God se teenwoordigheid en krag ervaar. Jy mag dalk selfs American Express se ou slagspreuk begin aanneem: ‘Don’t leave home without it.’
Sielskos: Ef 4:17-6:24; Joh 3:22-36; Ps 89:15-37; Spr 23:15-18
2023-10-13
Proverbs 2:4 NIV
When you think about it, studying the Bible is like prospecting for gold or silver. It involves two things: (1) You must look for it. Solomon writes, “If you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand… and find the knowledge of God” (vv. 4-5 NIV). Simply stepping into a mine and glancing around won’t cut it. If you want to get the gold or the silver, you must be searching for it. Any miner will inform you that gold doesn’t strike you – you strike gold. The purpose of this devotional isn’t to replace regular Bible reading but to whet your spiritual appetite for it. According to the Barna Research Group, only 9 percent of Christians read the Bible every day. The question is, are you one of them?
(2) You must dig for it. The Spirit of God within you speaks to you as you read His Word. The story is told about a guy who loved to study the Bible. Every time he came to something he didn’t understand, his friend Charlie would pop into his mind. Charlie was a great Bible student; he just seemed to ooze with biblical wisdom. So whenever the first guy encountered a Bible question, he would go to Charlie and say, “What does this verse mean? What is God trying to say here?” One day as he was reading, the Holy Spirit spoke to him and said, “Why don’t you just ask me? I’m the one who teaches Charlie.” So, expect God to speak to you today as you read His Word, and He will.
Soul food: Eph 1:1-4:16; John 3:9-21; Ps 89:1-14; Prov 23:10-14
Spreuke 2:4 NLV
Dink daaroor na, wanneer jy jou Bybel bestudeer, is dit soos om na goud of silwer te soek. Dit behels twee dinge: 1) Jy moet daarna soek. ‘Soek daarna soos jy na silwer sou soek. Spoor dit op soos ‘n versteekte skat. Jy sal dan… agterkom wat dit beteken om God te ken’ (verse 4-5 NLV). Om eenvoudig by ‘n myn af te loer en rond te kyk sal nie help nie. As jy die goud of silwer wil hê, moet jy aktief daarna soek. Die doel van hierdie dagstukkie is nie om gereelde Bybelstudie te vervang nie, maar om jou aptyt daarvoor aan te wakker. Volgens die Barna navorsingsgroep, lees slegs 9 persent van Christene die Bybel elke dag. Die vraag is, is jy een van hulle?
2) Jy moet daarvoor grawe. Die Gees van God wat binne-in jou is, praat met jou soos jy sy Woord lees. Daar word ‘n verhaal vertel van ‘n man wat mal daaroor was om sy Bybel te bestudeer. Elke keer wat hy iets teëgekom het wat hy nie verstaan het nie, het sy vriend Charlie in sy gedagtes opgekom. Charlie was ‘n wonderlike student van die Bybel; Bybelse wyshede het sommer by hom uitgevloei. Wanneer die eerste man dus ‘n vraag oor ‘n vers in die Bybel gehad het, het hy na Charlie toe gegaan en gesê: ‘Wat beteken hierdie vers? Wat probeer God hier vir my sê?’ Een dag terwyl hy besig was om die Bybel te lees, het die Heilige Gees met hom gepraat en gesê: ‘Hoekom vra jy My nie net nie? Ek is die een wat Charlie onderrig.’ Verwag dus vandag van God om met jou te praat terwyl jy sy Woord lees, en Hy sal.
Sielskos: Ef 1:1-4:16; Joh 3:9-21; Ps 89:1-14; Spr 23:10-14
2023-10-12
Isaiah 38:19 NKJV
A researcher at Johns Hopkins University informed us that children as young as eight months old are capable of hearing and remembering words, good or bad. “Little ears are listening,” said Dr. Peter Juscyzk. Babies in this study, which appeared in the esteemed journal, Science, were exposed to three taped stories for about ten days. Two weeks afterward, they were tested in a lab and clearly identified the words in the stories while failing to react to words they hadn’t heard.
Professor Emerita Robin Chapman, a language specialist at the University of Wisconsin at the time, emphasized the importance of this study. It demonstrates that very young children do pay attention to the sounds of language and are able to select those that are familiar. No, they may not fully understand them, but their brains are wired to record them and replay them later on. So, taking the time to talk to tiny children not only teaches them language skills but sows seeds of truth that can bloom later in life.
This shouldn’t surprise us; mothers have known it intuitively for thousands of years. Words are formative; they are creative! The first words your child hears will be spoken by you. The first music your child listens to, will be chosen by you. Your child is a precious lump of clay, and you are the potter God has called to mold them. In Scripture we read about vessels of “honour” and vessels of “dishonour” (See 2 Timothy 2:20 NKJV). As a parent, you help to shape the kind of vessel they become. If you’re wise, you will begin the godly molding process as early as possible.
Soul food: 1 Sam 27-31; John 3:1-8; Ps 110; Prov 23:6-9
