2022-03-24
2 Korintiërs 9:11 NLV
Die Bybel sê: ‘…God het die blymoedige gewer lief. En God is in staat om aan julle elke gawe in oorvloed te gee sodat julle in elke opsig altyd van alles genoeg kan hê én ook nog oorvloedig kan wees in elke goeie werk… In elke opsig sal julle ryk gemaak word om ook by elke geleentheid vrygewig te kan wees…’ (verse 8-9, 11 NLV).
Sommige mense weier om te gee omdat hulle gierig is, maar in die meeste gevalle is dit nie so nie. Die waarheid is dat ons bang is dat indien ons nie na ons eie belange omsien nie, mag daar dalk glad nie na hulle omgesien word nie. Hierdie tipe denkwyse maak egter nie sin nie. Dis soos die boer wat bang is om sy volgende oes te plant, omdat hy bang is om sy sade te laat gaan.
God sê dat die eerste tiende van ons inkomste aan Hom behoort (sien Maleagi 3:10). Is dit omdat Hy arm is en dit nodig het? Nee! Hy wil hê dat jy in sy koninkryk moet saai sodat: 1) Sy werk en sy wil hier op aarde gedoen kan word, en 2) jy ‘n oes sal hê wanneer jy dit nodig het. Jesus het gesê: ‘…maak die koningsheerskappy van God en dit wat voor Hom reg is, julle heel eerste prioriteit; dan sal God vir julle al hierdie ander dinge as ‘n bonus byvoeg’ (Matteus 6:33 NLV). Jy sal ‘In elke opsig… ryk gemaak word…’ wanneer jy ‘n kanaal vir God se koninkryk word. Wanneer jy jou finansies vanuit ‘n Bybelse perspektief beskou, moet jy nie bevrees wees dat jy te veel weggee nie, maar dat jy te min saai!
Sielskos: Job 21-23; Luk 19:28-40; Ps 55:12-23; Spr 8:19-21
2022-03-23
Philippians 1:6 CEV
Paul writes, “God is the one who began this good work in you, and I am certain… he won’t stop before it is complete” (v. 6 CEV). You will notice that Jesus regularly took time out of His busy schedule to pray. In fact, He sometimes prayed all night. And He tells us why: “The Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing” (John 5:19-20 NLT).
Under the weight of our sins, He cried from the cross, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46 NIV). And His words teach us three important things: (1) We can be following God’s plan and still feel overwhelmed and alone at times. (2) When God doesn’t answer, we must practice standing on the promises He gave us in His Word. (3) The pain we’re feeling will eventually give way to the joy that awaits us on the other side of it.
So stick with God’s plan; as long as you do that, there is nothing the Enemy can do to destroy you. The Bible says, “No weapon turned against you will succeed…. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord” (Isaiah 54:17 NLT). When you feel like you have reached the end of your rope, do what Jesus did and pray, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46 NIV). In other words, turn it all over to God. Trust Him to do what you can’t do and to bring you through in victory.
Soul food: Job 18-20; Luke 19:11-27; Ps 55:1-11; Pro 8:17-18
2022-03-22
Ephesians 1:11 CEV
God said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13 CEV). God determines the end result He wants, then starts at the beginning and works toward it. He “always does what he plans.”
Joseph discovered that even when your family turns against you, God’s plan is still in effect. Looking back, he said, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (Genesis 50:20 NIV). But don’t confuse “good” with “comfortable.” When God corrects or redirects you, it doesn’t always feel good. But it is good! David said, “When you corrected me, it did me good because it taught me” (Psalm 119:71 CEV).
If you’re not sure of God’s plan, seek Him until He shows it to you. Other things may seem more urgent, but nothing is more important. And if you already know God’s plan, rest assured that no human action can cancel it. The psalmist wrote, “The Lord will vindicate me; your love… endures forever” (Psalm 138:8 NIV).
There is no situation Satan can devise for which God hasn’t already made “the way of escape” (1Co 10:13 NKJV). Paul reassures us: “God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted [tested] beyond what you are able, but with the temptation [testing] will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (v. 13 NKJV). It’s in your times of testing that you discover “God is faithful.” He will stretch you, but never beyond your breaking point. His plan is for you to come out of this experience stronger and ready for what’s next on His agenda.
Soul food: Job 15-17; Luke 19:1-10; Ps 13; Pro 8:14-16
2022-03-21
Luke 6:37 NLT
Once you understand that parents aren’t always capable of giving their kids what they didn’t get themselves – namely love, nurturing, acceptance, and physical affection – it becomes easier to forgive them.
Author Stormie Omartian says: “Sometimes what one parent didn’t do hurts as bad as what the abusing one did. A parent’s uninvolvement or unwillingness to step in and rescue you feels like a betrayal. Unforgiveness for that uninvolved parent is more difficult to recognize but is more common than we think. Ask God to show you any unforgiveness towards a parent who didn’t come to your rescue. If it’s there, you have to deal honestly with your feelings… We can’t go back in time and get someone to hold and nurture us, and we mustn’t demand it from a spouse or friends because they can’t do it. It [must] come from our heavenly Father… The first step… is to receive [His] forgiveness and let its reality penetrate the deepest part of our being. When we realize how much we have been forgiven… we have no right to pass judgment on… another. Being forgiven and released from everything we’ve ever done is such a miraculous gift, how could we refuse to obey God when He asks us to forgive others? Forgiveness is a two-way street. God forgives you, and you forgive others… We base our decision not on what we feel like doing but on what we know is right.”
Jesus said, “Do not judge…and you will not be judged… Forgive… and you will be forgiven” (v. 37 NLT). Choosing to forgive and not let somebody else’s sin dictate how you feel and what you do frees you to live in peace.
Soul food: Job 11-14; Luke 18:31-43; Ps 116:12-19; Pro 8:10-13
2022-03-20
Ephesians 4:32 NKJV
There is nothing worse than the pain parents inflict on their kids. Often it stems from ignorance, but that doesn’t lessen the hurt when you’re on the receiving end.
A Christian author writes: “Needs not met in childhood will be just as strong in adulthood, but they will be expertly camouflaged. If you were abused as a child, don’t be misled into [thinking]… ‘I’m born again – I shouldn’t still hurt.’ The fact that you still hurt doesn’t negate your born-again status or make you less spiritual. Because people tend to view God the way they viewed their parents, it takes a time of healing, deliverance, and getting to know the love of God before total trust comes.
Forgiving your parents is a big part of the healing (and crucial to avoiding the pitfall of abusing your own children). You have to forgive the father who never protected you, the mother who mistreated and abused you, the stepfather who didn’t love you, the grandfather or uncle who sexually molested you, the parent who was never there or deserted you through death or abandonment… the selfish parent who reminded you that you were never wanted, or the emotionally deficient parent who didn’t know how to properly nurture you.
These bitterly painful experiences will continue to hurt you if you don’t… release all that pain and bitterness… and ask [God] to help you forgive… He is a God of restoration and redemption, so He can redeem whatever… occurred in your past. He can mend the breach between you and your children, or parents, or friends. Restoration doesn’t happen overnight, but redemption can. Allow God to redeem your situation now, so it can be turned around and headed in the right direction.”
Soul food: Lev 24:17-22; Deut 15:7-11; Matt 5:38-48
2022-03-19
Luke 17:14 NKJV
“Ten… lepers… lifted up their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’… He said to them, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and… glorified God… So Jesus answered and said, ‘Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the [other] nine?’… And He said to him… ‘Your faith has made you well'” (vv. 12-19 NKJV).
This story teaches us these three things: (1) Sometimes the answer comes quickly; other times it comes slowly, step-by-step. The Bible says, “As they went, they were cleansed.” You don’t know which step will bring the answer, so you must keep walking in faith. Mosaic law dictated that before a leper could be welcomed back into society, the priest must pronounce him “clean.” Think about it: Jesus saw the change in these men before it ever took place; that’s because He has the power to make it happen!
(2) Don’t give up because others reject you. As social outcasts, these men expected Jesus to treat them accordingly. But when you draw close to God, He will draw close to you (See Jas 4:8). Are you struggling with an issue that has caused others to shun you or cast you aside? Jesus won’t do that. He said, “Whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37 NIV).
(3) Always remember to thank and praise God. Only one of the ten lepers passed the gratitude test. Would you have passed it? When you realize how much your thanks means to the Lord, you will never let a day go by without praising and worshiping Him.
Soul food: Job 8-10; Luke 18:18-30; Ps 116:1-11; Pro 8:8-9
