2022-04-30
Deuteronomy 4:40 NCV
As a parent, you’re constantly transmitting your values to your children, so do these: (1) Let them see you pray. Help them to understand that prayer is how we build a lifelong friendship with God. And they will need His friendship when you’re not around to help them. God said, “When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them” (Psalm 91:15 NLT).
(2) Show them what God is like. Your child’s concept of God is formed by you. Whether you’re loving and protective or distant and cold, they will grow up understanding God through the interactions they have with you. Some examples are that God is never too busy to listen, He constantly tells us He loves us, and He is never abusive. Getting the idea?
(3) Help them to see God in others. When kids are encouraged to see God at work in their own lives, they begin to discern Him at work in the lives of others too. When that happens, they will value and respect others and be valued and respected in return. That will help them to be secure and successful in life.
(4) Don’t send them to church; take them. Children need to believe – and belong. Teach them that just like a limb dies that’s disconnected from a body, we die spiritually unless we are connected to a local church. “Belonging” means they will always have a place to go. The Bible says, “Obey his laws… that things will go well for you and your children” (Deuteronomy 4:40 NCV). Helping your kids to find the right path is the greatest gift you can give them.
Soul food: Jam 1-2; Matt 4:12-25; Ps 94:1-11; Pro 10:24-26
2022-04-29
Filippense 2:4 NLV
Onselfsugtigheid doen drie dinge vir jou: 1) Dit verhoog die kwaliteit van jou lewe. Dit gee jou ‘n waardering vir die lewe en ‘n beter begrip van die lewe se hoër waardes. Om mense in nood raak te sien en dan aan hulle behoeftes te voldoen, plaas baie dinge in perspektief. Een leier skryf: ‘Daar is geen lewe so leeg soos ‘n selfgesentreerde een nie. Daar is geen lewe so gesentreerd soos die self-leë ene nie.’ As jy jou wêreld wil verbeter, moet jy jou aandag daarop fokus om ander te help.
2) Dit maak jou deel van iets groters as jyself. In die middel tagtigs, het Merck & Company, die globale farmaseutiese korporasie, medikasie ontwikkel wat rivierblindheid genees – ‘n siekte wat hoofsaaklik mense in ontwikkelende lande infekteer en blind laat. Dit was ‘n goeie produk, maar die meeste potensiële kliënte kon dit nie bekostig nie. Wat het Merck dus gedoen? Hulle het die medikasie in elk geval geproduseer en aangekondig dat dit verniet vir enigeen wat dit nodig gehad het, beskikbaar sou wees. Gevolglik het hulle meer as 250 miljoen dosisse weggegee. George W. Merck sê: ‘Ons probeer nooit vergeet dat medisyne vir die mense is nie. Dis nie vir die wins nie. Die wins volg daarop en wanneer ons onthou dat dit vir die mense is, het die winste nog nooit nie opgedaag nie.’ Die les hieruit te leer? Eenvoudig. In plaas daarvan om groot te wees, word deel van iets groters as jyself.
3) Dit skep ‘n nalatenskap. Jack Balousek, die voormalige president van True North Communications, het gesê: ‘Leer, verdien, gee terug – hierdie is die drie fases van die lewe.’ Wanneer jy onselfsugtig is en in ander mense belê, ontvang jy die geleentheid om ‘n nalatenskap te skep. Dit behoort jou doelwit te wees.
Sielskos: Dan 11-12; Matt 4:1-11; Ps 144:9-15; Spr 10:22-23
Philippians 2:4 NCV
Unselfishness does three things for us: 1) It improves the quality of our lives. It gives us more appreciation for life and a glimpse of its higher values. Seeing people in need and giving to meet those needs puts a lot of things into perspective. John Maxwell wrote: ‘There is no life as empty as the self-centred life. There is no life as centred as the self-empty life.’ If we want to improve our world, we should focus our attention on helping others.
2) It makes us part of something greater than ourselves. In the mid-1980s, the pharmaceutical organisation Merck & Company developed a medication to cure river blindness, a disease that infects and causes blindness in millions of people. Most of the people it affects live in developing countries. It was a good product, but the potential customers couldn’t afford it. But Merck produced the drug anyway, and decided to give it free to anyone who needed it. They gave away more than 250 million tablets. George W. Merck, the company’s president, said, ‘We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It’s not for the profits. The profits follow, and if we have remembered that, they have never failed to appear.’ The lesson in this for us is instead of striving to be great, we should try to be part of something greater than ourselves.
3) It creates a legacy. When we think unselfishly and invest in others, we have the opportunity to create a lasting difference that will go on for the whole of our lives and beyond. The Bible says, ‘Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others.’ Let’s make that our goal.
Dan 11-12; Matt 4:1-11; Ps 144:9-15; Pro 10:22-23
Philippians 2:4 NKJV
Unselfishness does three things for you: (1) It improves the quality of your life. It gives you an appreciation for life and a comprehension of its higher values. Seeing people in need and giving to meet those needs sets a lot of things into perspective. One leader writes: “There is no life as empty as the self-centered life. There is no life as centered as the self-empty life.” If you want to enhance your world, focus your attention on assisting others.
(2) It makes you part of something greater than yourself. In the mid-1980s, Merck & Company, the global pharmaceutical corporation, developed a medication to cure river blindness, a disease that infects and causes blindness in millions of people, mainly in developing countries. While it was a good product, potential customers couldn’t afford it. So, what did Merck do? It produced the drug anyway and announced that it would give it free to anyone who needed it. As a result, they gave away more than 250 million tablets. George W. Merck says, “We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It’s not for the profits. The profits follow, and if we have remembered that, they have never failed to appear.” The lesson to learn? Simple. Instead of attempting to be great, be part of something greater than yourself.
(3) It creates a legacy. Jack Balousek, former president of True North Communications, said, “Learn, earn, return – these are the three phases of life.” When you think unselfishly and invest in others, you gain the opportunity to create a legacy that will outlive you. And that should be your goal.
Soul food: Dan 11-12; Matt 4:1-11; Ps 144:9-15; Pro 10:22-23
2022-04-28
1 John 5:14 NLT
A leader wrote these words: “My dad was a busy man… to get him at work you had to go through a switchboard unless you knew his private number. He gave it to a few business partners, but all of his kids had it… We knew, no matter how busy he was, we could call anytime on his direct line. I’ve the same thing… my kids know my number… they can call me anytime for anything. And you know what? No voices sound sweeter to me than my kids’ voices. When one of them says, ‘Hi, Dad,’ it doesn’t matter what I’m juggling… they’re an absolute priority… Now multiply that out exponentially – and listen to me. Nothing sounds sweeter to God than your voice saying, ‘Hello, Father.’ There’s nothing going on in the cosmos that would keep Him from directing His full attention to your conversation or your request.”
That means when God is your Father, you can call home anytime. He is never more than a prayer away! Jesus said: “Ask, and God will give to you… If your children ask for bread, which of you would give them a stone? Or if your children ask for a fish, would you give them a snake? Even though you are bad, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:7, 9-11 NCV). You can talk to God without begging and groveling, “confident that he hears… whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And… he will give us what we ask for” (1 John 5:14-15 NLT).
So, whatever is robbing you of your confidence in prayer, deal with it today.
Soul food: Dan 8-10; Matt 3:1-17; Ps 144:1-8; Pro 10:19-21
