2022-04-13
1 Chronicles 21:1 NIV
Fresh from a major victory over the Philistines, King David made a major mistake. Instead of trusting God for his next battle, he conducted a census to measure his military power and determine his chances of winning. And this mistake cost the lives of seventy thousand Israelites.
This story teaches us three very important lessons about responsibility: 1) Leaders are Satan’s special targets. He knows that in order to easily get to others, he can go through their leader, so he’ll use every strategy he has to bring a leader down. ‘Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census.’ The census sounded like a good idea, but it wasn’t God’s idea – He saw it as an act of arrogance and unbelief.
2) Don’t be presumptuous. We mustn’t allow past victories to make us overconfident about our next battle or our skill level. There’ll never be a time when we don’t need God. The fact that God had just granted David a great victory should have made him more, not less, dependent on God. Paul wrote, ‘Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent’ (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV).
3) Listen to wise counsel. Joab, one of David’s generals, warned him he was making a grave mistake. ‘The king’s word, however, overruled Joab’ (1 Chronicles 21:4 NIV). We may each have great gifts, but no single one of us has all the gifts. Where we have weaknesses, others may have strengths. ‘Victory is won through many advisors’ (Proverbs 11:14 NIVUK), so let’s listen to the people God has put in our lives to guide and protect us.
Lev 22-23; Luke 23:8-17; Ps 32; Pro 10:4
1 Chronicles 21:1 NIV
Fresh from a major victory over the Philistines, King David made a major mistake. Instead of trusting God for his next battle, he conducted a census designed to measure his military power and determine his chances of winning. As a result, seventy thousand Israelites perished. This story teaches us three very important lessons about leadership responsibility:
(1) As a leader, you’re Satan’s special target. He knows that in order to get to others, he must go through you, so he will use every strategy he has to bring you down. “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census.” The average board of directors would probably have considered it a good idea, but God saw it as an act of arrogance and unbelief.
(2) Don’t be presumptuous. Don’t let your last victory make you overconfident about your next battle. There will never be a time when you don’t need God! The fact that God had just granted David a great victory should have made him more, not less, dependent on God. Paul wrote, “Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent” (2 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV).
(3) Listen to wise counsel. Joab, one of David’s generals, warned him he was making a grave mistake. “The king’s word, however, overruled Joab” (1 Chronicles 21:4 NIV). You may have great gifts, but you don’t have all the gifts. Where you have blind spots, others often have 20/20 vision. “In the multitude of counsellors there is safety” (Proverbs 11:14 KJV), so listen to the people God put in your life to guide and protect you.
Soul food: Lev 22-23; Luke 23:8-17; Ps 32; Pro 10:4
2022-04-12
Romans 12:3 NIV
Generally speaking, we tend to overestimate our capabilities. We like to think we can do it all, and do it better than anyone else. But no matter how disciplined we are or how hard we try, without a ‘sane estimate of [our] capabilities’, we’re setting ourselves up for a fall if we overestimate ourselves.
Author John Ortberg said: ‘Willpower is… finite… You don’t get separate stockpiles for different areas… That’s why a long list of New Year’s resolutions is almost certainly doomed… It takes a whole lot of willpower… For most of us… our wills get depleted… more quickly than our bodies.’
John Ortberg suggests these: 1) Schedule your most important tasks for when your willpower is strongest. For many people, that’s the morning, but it can vary. We should try to be aware of times when we’re more decisive, and less likely to be swayed by temptations (big or small), and try to do important tasks at those times.
2) Spend willpower wisely by not taking on too many tasks at once, even after you’ve prayed about them. God generally works through our will, so we need to be careful in how much we rely on our willpower. We don’t want to spend it all and have none left for God.
3) Set goals – but not too many. If we have too few, we tend to drift; but having too many means we worry more about them, accomplish less, and struggle emotionally and physically.
4) Remember that the one act of our will that replenishes willpower instead of depleting it is surrender to God. God meant for prayer, solitude, worship, and meditation to be done in a way that restores us.
Lev 20-21; Luke 23:1-7; Ps 25:16-22; Pro 10:3
Romans 12:3 NIV
We have exaggerated ideas about our capabilities. We like to think we can do it all. But no matter how disciplined you are or how hard you try, without a “sane estimate of your capabilities,” you’re setting yourself up to fail.
John Ortberg says: “Willpower is… finite… You don’t get separate stockpiles for different areas… That’s why a long list of New Year’s resolutions is almost certainly doomed… It takes a whole lot of willpower to get on an exercise… program to lose weight… If you add on the list: get on a budget… keep your office clean, and read Calvin’s Institutes every week, you set yourself up for failure… For most of us… our wills get depleted… more quickly than our bodies.”
Ortberg suggests these: (1) Schedule your most important tasks for when your willpower is strongest. For many people, that’s the morning. One study shows prisoners have a better shot at parole if their case is heard in the morning when the judge has a higher reserve of willpower and is more inclined to take a chance.
(2) Spend willpower wisely by not taking on too many tasks at once, even after you have prayed about them. Generally, God works through your will, and He seldom gives you a free pass to disregard the laws of finitude He created.
(3) Set goals – but not too many. Lacking a few, we drift, but having an overabundance means we worry about them, accomplish less, and suffer emotionally and physically.
(4) Remember that the one act of your will that replenishes willpower instead of depleting it is surrender. God meant for prayer, solitude, worship, and meditation to be done in a way that restores us.
Soul food: Lev 20-21; Luke 23:1-7; Ps 25:16-22; Pro 10:3
Romeine 12:3 NLV
Ons het oordrewe idees van ons vermoëns. Ons hou daarvan om te dink dat ons alles kan doen. Dit maak egter nie saak hoe gedissiplineerd jy is of hoe hard jy probeer nie, as jy jouself nie nugter kan beoordeel nie, stel jy jouself vir mislukking oop.
John Ortberg sê: ‘Wilskrag is beperk. Jy het nie aparte voorraad in verskillende areas nie. Dis hoekom ‘n lang lys nuwejaarsvoornemens amper altyd in die hek duik. Dit neem baie wilskrag om ‘n oefenprogram om gewig te verloor, te begin. Voeg daarby die voorneme om geld te spaar, jou kantoor skoon te hou en elke week ‘n boek te lees en jy stel jouself vir mislukking oop. Die meeste van ons se wilskrag gee in voor ons liggame ingee.’
Ortberg stel die volgende voor: 1) Skeduleer jou belangrikste take vir wanneer jou wilskrag die sterkste is. Vir baie mense vind dit in die oggend plaas. Een studie wys dat gevangenes ‘n beter kans op parool het as hulle saak in die oggende aangehoor word, wanneer die regter ‘n hoër reserwe wilskrag het en meer geneig is om ‘n kans te neem.
2) Bestee jou wilskrag met wysheid deur nie te veel take op dieselfde tyd aan te pak nie.
3) Stel doelwitte – maar nie te veel nie. Wanneer ons te min doelwitte het, dobber ons rond, maar te veel doelwitte veroorsaak dat ons onsself oor hulle bekommer, minder bereik en fisies en emosioneel daaronder ly.
4) Onthou dat die een daad van jou wil wat wilskrag opvul eerder as uitput, oorgawe is. God het bedoel dat ons gebed, afsondering, lofprysing en meditasie op so ‘n manier moet doen, dat dit ons sal herstel.
Sielskos: Lev 20-21; Luk 23:1-7; Ps 25:16-22; Spr 10:3
