2022-10-18
Malachi 3:10 NLT
Beware of developing a sense of entitlement where you think your money is something you earned all by yourself. Anytime you struggle to give God what is rightfully His according to Scripture, it’s because you have become more attached to the gift than the giver.
If you have never tried tithing, read this: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse… If you do… I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!” (v. 10 NLT).
A pastor received this letter from a couple in his church: “We were behind with our rent and car payments. We were forty thousand dollars in debt, we’d no food in the fridge, and we’d just started a construction business. So when you challenged us to tithe as part of our Christian commitment, we thought, ‘How can we give what we don’t have?’ Nevertheless, we decided to go ahead and honour God by giving Him the first tenth of our income. The very first week we met a contractor who asked us to build a house, with more to follow. Now we no longer questioned how we’d fulfill our commitment to God; in fact, we increased our giving! And if the story ended there, it would still be a good one. But you can’t outgive God. Through a series of divinely orchestrated events, we went from being renters to being homeowners. Today, we’re enjoying financial blessing. And even though this story is all about trusting God, on reflection we’re still trying to answer one question: ‘What exactly was it we sacrificed?'”
Soul food: 2 Sam 3:22-7:17; John 4:13-26; Ps 100; Prov 23:22-28
2022-10-17
Psalm 143:10 NKJV
In order for you to understand God’s will, for the next few days let’s use the word S.H.A.P.E. as an acrostic. S represents your spirit. Your regenerated spirit is the part of you that’s capable of connecting with God and responding to Him. The Bible says: “People who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things” (1 Corinthians 2:14-15 NLT).
You can know something in your spirit without understanding it in your brain. Does that sound strange? It’s not: “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (1 John 2:20 NKJV). Sometimes a Scripture leaps off the page you’re reading in the Bible and you “know” it’s God speaking to you and giving you direction. At the time it may not seem to make sense to you, but it resonates in your spirit as being right. We use different words to describe this experience, such as “a leading” or “a prompting.”
Will you sometimes get it wrong and make a mistake? Yes. The most mature Christians among us do. In his youth, God spoke to Samuel the prophet four different times before he finally recognized His voice. Just as you exercise your body to make it stronger, you must exercise your spirit to make it sharper and more sensitive to God: “Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong” (Hebrews 5:14 NLT).
Soul food: Ezra 1-2; John 7:14-24; Ps 9; Prov 24:30-34
Job 12:12 NLV
‘n Bejaarde dame het gesê: ‘Een voordeel van ‘n lang lewe is om dit wat ek geleer het, te kan deel. Laat my toe om drie geheime te deel wat jou lewe kan verbeter.’ Toe het sy baie goeie raad aangebied:
1) ‘Tyd is kosbaar, moenie dit mors nie. Nadat my man oorlede is, het ek by vriende gebly. Een aand het hulle met mekaar begin stry. Ek weet argumente vind plaas; ek en my man het self ‘n hele paar gehad. Op daardie oomblik, het ek egter soos nooit tevore nie verstaan dat die tyd wat ons saam met mekaar het, kosbaar is. Moenie dit mors om oor dinge te stry wat nie sal saak maak wanneer jou geliefde nie meer daar is nie. Doen alles wat jy kan om in harmonie te leef en betoon liefde aan mekaar. Hoekom? Omdat dit nie saak maak hoeveel tyd julle saam het nie, dis nooit genoeg nie.
2) Maak goeie herinneringe bymekaar. Wanneer ek terugkyk, dank ek God vir onvergeetlike oomblikke. Die dag wat my man oorlede is het ons oudergewoonte mekaar die middag totsiens gesoen. Die aand was hy oorlede. Ek is altyd bly oor daardie finale soen. Skep dus herinneringe en nie oomblikke waaroor jy later spyt gaan wees nie.
3) Dis nie wat gebeur wat saak maak nie, maar hoe jy daarop reageer. Elke dag bring nuwe uitdagings wat jou liefde en voornemens gaan toets, mee. Jy het egter deur Christus die krag om elke toets ‘n geleentheid vir groei te maak. Die lewe is vol skynbaar onaangename gebeure. Probeer om hulle op so ‘n manier te hanteer dat wanneer jy oud is, jy daarop sal kan terugkyk en sê: ‘Dankie Here, vir daardie ervaring; dit het my help groei.’
Dis hoe mens wys en wel leef!
Sielskos: 2 Sam 1:1-3:21; Joh 4:1-12; Ps 89:38-52; Spr 23:19-21
Job 12:12 NLT
An elderly lady says, “One benefit of living so long is sharing what I’ve learned. So make my day by letting me share three secrets that can make your life better.” Then she offers us some great counsel:
(1) “Time is precious; don’t waste it. After my husband died, I was staying with friends. One evening they started arguing and eventually stopped speaking to one another. Now, I know arguments happen; my husband and I had several doozies. But at that moment, I understood as never before that the time we have together is precious. Don’t waste it bickering about things that won’t matter when your loved one is gone. Do everything you can to live in harmony and show your love. Why? Because no matter how long you have together, it’s never enough.
(2) You’re making memories; make them good ones. Looking back, I thank God for so many unforgettable moments. The day my husband died we kissed (as we always did when we parted), at noon. By five-thirty that evening, he was dead. I’ve always been glad about that final kiss. So create memories – not regrets!
(3) It’s not what happens, but how you respond that counts. Every day holds new challenges that will test your love and resolve. You have the power through Christ to make each test an occasion for growth. Life is full of seemingly unpleasant events. Try to handle them in such a way that when you’re old, you will be able to look back and say, ‘I thank you, God, for that experience; it helped me grow.'”
And that’s how to live wisely and well!
Soul food: 2 Sam 1:1-3:21; John 4:1-12; Ps 89:38-52; Prov 23:19-21
2022-10-16
2 Korintiërs 5:7 NLV
Jesus het gesê: ‘Ek sê hierdie dinge vir julle sodat julle in My rus en vrede kan vind. In die wêreld sal julle swaarkry beleef, maar skep moed: Ek het die wêreld reeds oorwin’ (Johannes 16:33 NLV).
Die lewe hou aan om vir ons probleme te gee wat ons geloof toets. Daniël se sukses het van hom ‘n teiken gemaak. Omdat hulle geweet het dat hy gereeld bid, het sy vyande vir koning Darius oortuig dat alle aanbidding slegs teenoor hom as koning moet plaasvind, dus het die koning vir Daniël in die leeukuil laat gooi. God het egter die situasie verander. Die volgende oggend het Daniël uit die leeukuil gestap, sy vyande is daarin gegooi en die koning het aangekondig: ‘…die God van Daniël. Hy is die God wat lewe…’ (Daniël 6:27 NLV).
Sadrag, Mesag en Abednego het geweier om die koning se afgodsbeeld te aanbid. Selfs toe hulle met ‘n vlammende oond gedreig is as hulle nie voor die beeld buig nie, het hulle gesê: ‘Die God wat ons aanbid kán ons uit die vuur red… En selfs al red Hy ons nie… sal ons nie u gode vereer nie…’ (Daniël 3:17-18 NLV).
Dawid het geweier om die koning se wapenrusting te dra toe hy voor Goliat te staan gekom het. Hy het gesê: ‘…Ek is nie daaraan gewoond nie…’ (1 Samuel 17:39). Wat het hy dus wel saam met hom geneem? ‘…die Naam van die Here die Almagtige…’ (1 Samuel 17:45 NLV).
Die kans is goed dat jy jouself nooit in ‘n leeukuil, ‘n vlammende oond of voor ‘n reus sal bevind nie, maar sommige dae voel dit wel so. Wanneer jy egter aangeval word, moet jy, 1) bid en God se mag opeis, 2) in geloof wandel, en 3) in die ‘Naam van die Here die Almagtige’ gaan.
Sielskos: Jes 61:1-9; Luk 4:16-30
