2017-09-05
Isaiah 44:3 TM
Parent, here’s a Bible promise you can stand on: “I will pour my Spirit into your descendants and my blessing on your children.” Your kids should be able to take up where you left off! Your ceiling should be their floor. They shouldn’t merely follow you; they should use the foundation you laid to build something greater. Don’t use the comfort of the status quo as an excuse for not challenging old thinking. To get beyond your mental barriers, you need to stop saying things like: “That’s just the way I am,” or “My family never amounted to much, so I won’t either.” When you say that, you’re contradicting God! When God delivered the Israelites from slavery, they started out for the Promised Land. The journey should have taken only eleven days but it ended up taking forty years. What happened? They complained endlessly, and as a result kept going around the same mountain again and again. Why? Because they’d been in slavery for four hundred years, and they thought and talked like slaves! They couldn’t grasp what God had promised them. Finally He told them, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Go in and take possession of the land the Lord swore he would give your descendants” (See Deuteronomy 2:3). If your past has been one of failure, draw a line in the sand today and declare, “Enough is enough. I’m going to trust God for bigger and better things!” It’s in such moments that destinies are changed. Bottom line: The decisions you make today will affect not only you, but your children – so ask God to help you make the right ones.
Soul food: Josh 16:1-19:23; Mark 10:13-22; Ps 112; Prov 23:13-15
Jesaja 44:3 NLV
Ouer, hier is ‘n Bybelse belofte waarop jy kan staan: ‘Ek sal my Gees op jou kinders uitstort, en my seëninge op jou nakomelinge.’ Jou kinders moet kan aangaan waar jy ophou! Hulle moet jou nie net opvolg nie, maar die fondasie gebruik wat jy gelê het en iets groters bou. Moenie die gemak van die status quo as ‘n verskoning gebruik om nie ou denkwyses uit te daag nie. Om verby die grense van jou denke te beweeg, moet jy ophou om dinge soos: ‘Dis maar net soos ek is,’ of ‘My familie het nooit iets bereik nie, ek sal dus ook nie,’ te sê. Wanneer jy dit sê, weerspreek jy God! Toe God die Israeliete uit slawerny gered het, het hulle na die Beloofde Land begin reis. Hulle reis was veronderstel om net elf dae te neem, maar het op die ou einde veertig jaar geneem. Wat het gebeur? Hulle het aanhoudend gekla en as ‘n resultaat oor en oor om dieselfde berg beweeg. Hoekom? Omdat hulle vir vierhonderd jaar slawe was en nog steeds soos slawe gedink en gepraat het! Hulle kon nie dit wat God aan hulle beloof het, begryp nie. Uiteindelik het Hy vir hulle gesê, ‘Julle het nou lank genoeg by hierdie berg gebly. Gaan nou en neem die land wat Ek aan julle nageslag beloof het, in’ (sien Deuteronomium 2:3). As jou verlede een van mislukking is, trek vandag ‘n streep in die sand en verklaar, ‘Genoeg is genoeg. Ek gaan op God vir groter en beter dinge vertrou!’ Dit is in sulke oomblikke wat lewens verander word. Die besluite wat jy vandag maak affekteer nie net jou nie, maar ook jou kinders – vra God dus om jou te help om die regte besluite te neem.
Sielskos: Jos 16:1-19:23; Mark 10:13-22; Ps 112; Spr 23:13-15
2017-09-04
Genesis 37:19-20 NKJV
When Joseph dreamed big dreams, how did his brothers respond? “Let us…kill him.” Sometimes those closest to you will resent your dream the most, yet with God’s help you can still fulfil it. Andrés Segovia was born in southern Spain and began playing the guitar as a child. In those days it was considered little more than a folk instrument; serious composers and musicians didn’t respect it. But Segovia saw the potential for classical music on the guitar. He began studying the techniques of classical musicians who played the violin and cello. He then applied those techniques to his guitar playing, and developed other methods on his own. He adapted compositions of the old masters such as Bach, and learned to play them on his instrument. In 1909 Segovia made his debut at age sixteen. In 1919 he toured the world and won over the classical music establishment. For the first time composers started writing classical music for the guitar, and a whole new musical genre was born. Over the course of eighty years, Segovia changed people’s perception of the instrument. And like many big dreams, his dream made an impact far beyond what he imagined. It could be argued that his efforts opened the door to the guitar in concert halls and jazz bands, which in turn led to the electronically amplified guitar. Today if you enjoy the music of the Beatles or Eric Clapton, thank Andrés Segovia. If it wasn’t for his dream, much of the music from the twentieth century may have gone in an entirely different direction. Bottom line: When you pursue your dream, there’s no telling how far you’ll go.
Soul food: Josh 14-15; Mark 10:1-12; Ps 20; Prov 23:10-12
Genesis 37:19-20 NLV
Hoe het Josef se broers gereageer toe hy groot drome gedroom het? ‘Kom ons maak hom dood.’ Soms sal die mense naaste aan jou die meeste deur jou drome gegrief wees, maar jy kan dit steeds met God se hulp vervul. Andrés Segovia is in die suide van Spanje gebore en het die kitaar as jong kind begin bespeel. In daardie dae het ernstige komponiste en musikante nie die kitaar as ‘n ware musiekinstrument gerespekteer nie. Segovia het egter die potensiaal van klassieke musiek op ‘n kitaar ingesien. Hy het begin om die tegnieke wat klassieke musikante vir die tjello en die viool gebruik, te bestudeer. Toe het hy daardie tegnieke in sy kitaarspel ingespan en ‘n paar metodes van sy eie ontwerp. Hy het die komposisies van meesters soos Bach aangepas en geleer om dit op sy kitaar te speel. In 1909 het Sergovia sy debuut op sestienjarige ouderdom gemaak. In 1919 het hy die wêreld vol gereis en die klassieke musiekgemeenskap op horings geneem. Vir die eerste keer het komponiste begin om klassieke musiek vir die kitaar te skryf en ‘n nuwe musikale genre is gebore. Oor die tydperk van tagtig jaar het Sergovia mense se persepsie van die kitaar verander. Soos baie groot drome, het sy droom ‘n impak ver bo sy verwagtinge gemaak. As jy vandag die musiek van die Beatles of Eric Clapton geniet, moet jy Andrés Sergovia daarvoor bedank. As dit nie vir sy droom was nie, kon die musiek van die twintigste eeu ‘n heel ander rigting ingeslaan het. Wanneer jy jou droom najaag, kan jy wêrelde versit.
Sielskos: Jos 14-15; Mark 10:1-12; Ps 20; Spr 23:10-12
2017-09-03
Joshua 1:9 NIV
When it came time for Joshua to take the place of Moses, God said to him, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” And today God is saying the same to you. He wants you to pursue the dream He has put in your heart! Alfred D. Souza wrote: “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, and a debt to be paid. Then, life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” When you encounter obstacles, you discover things about yourself you never knew. You discover the depth of your faith in God – and in yourself. Every problem introduces you to yourself. Obstacles are merely a call to strengthen your position, not surrender your dream. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did. So when your dream looks impossible, trust God and act as though it’s impossible to fail. Why? Because “with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27 NKJV). That means if you’re going to climb Mount Everest, make sure to bring the flag with you. Don’t listen to those who tell you, “It can’t be done that way.” Or to those who say, “You’re taking too big a chance.” Ignore what people say can’t be done and focus on what God says can be done.
Soul food: Gen 11:1-9; Phil 2:1-11; Ps 133
