2019-03-19
Psalm 18:6 NLT
There are times in life when the best thing you can do is cry out to God from the depths of your being. Don’t worry about looking undignified, or having people think you have no faith. The psalmist said, “In my distress I cried out to the Lord…[and] He heard me.” Every parent knows that cry. It’s different; it’s not a temper tantrum or a whine for attention, it’s a cry of distress. And though it comes in the dead of night, before you know it your feet hit the floor and you’re at your child’s side holding them, changing them, feeding them, and comforting them. That’s how God feels about you. When you get so low that you’re reaching up just to touch bottom, cry out to God! David said: “He reached down…and drew me out of my great trials. He rescued me…On the day…I was weakest, they attacked. But the Lord held me steady. He led me to a place of safety, for he delights in me” (vv. 16-19 TLB). David discovered that God was his “high tower” (v. 2). In Bible times a high tower was a place of safety where the enemy couldn’t get to you. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (NKJV). It represents a place of security in God where you’re lifted above the threat and the circumstances. It’s where you regain your perspective; a place where you can look ahead and know this trial will soon be over. Go ahead, cry out to God and He will answer you.
Soul food: Job 24-28; Luke 18:31-43; Ps 13; Prov 8:14-16
2019-03-18
Mark 14:36 NIV
Because surrender is so closely connected to our wills, often a price is attached. You can feel devoted to God, yet when it comes time to act you discover that your surrender is only skin-deep. Anticipating this, Jesus often identified the particular area where surrender was needed in a person’s life. To the woman caught in adultery He said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11 NKJV). That means you must surrender your sexual drives and desires to God. Many times surrender will involve money, because money is all about trust and control. To a rich businessman who wanted to follow Him, Jesus said, “Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor” (Mark 10:21 TLB). But the man was unwilling to do it. Often surrender will involve an act of self-disclosure about a grudge, attitude, habit, or sin. When you’re with a trusted friend, God may prompt you to talk about a matter in which you have struggled or even failed. Don’t be surprised when your immediate response is “No way!” Other times you may be with someone and feel the need to confront them about something, and it makes you uncomfortable. So here’s the question: Will you surrender, when surrender means doing something uncomfortable? If it were comfortable, it wouldn’t be surrender! The supreme example of surrender is Christ in Gethsemane, praying, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42 NIV). It was the hardest prayer He ever prayed, and the one that launched Him into His destiny. Amazingly, the prayer that brings God’s power – is the prayer of surrender.
Soul food: Job 21-23; Luke 18:18-30; Ps 116:12-19; Prov 8:10-13
Markus 14:36 NLV
Omdat oorgawe so naby aan ons wil verbind is, is daar dikwels ‘n prys daaraan verbonde. Jy kan toegewyd aan God voel, maar wanneer dit tyd is om op te tree, kan jy ontdek dat jou oorgawe net vel-diep is. Jesus het dikwels die spesifieke area waar oorgawe in iemand se lewe nodig was, geïdentifiseer. Vir die owerspelige vrou het Hy gesê: ‘…Ook Ek veroordeel jou nie. Gaan maar, en moet van nou af nie meer sonde doen nie’ (Johannes 8:11 NLV). Dit beteken dat jy al jou seksuele drange en begeertes aan God moet oorgee. Dikwels sal oorgawe geld behels, omdat geld oor vertroue en beheer gaan. Vir die ryk sakeman wat Hom wou volg het Jesus gesê: ‘…Gaan verkoop alles wat jy het en gee die geld vir die armes…’ (Markus 10:21 NLV). Die man was egter onwillig om dit te doen. Oorgawe sal dikwels selfopenbaring oor ‘n wrok, houding, gewoonte of sonde behels. Wanneer jy by ‘n vertrouensvriend is, sal God jou dalk aanpor om oor ‘n geleentheid waar jy gesukkel het of selfs gefaal het, te praat. Ander kere kan jy dalk saam met iemand wees en die behoefte voel om hulle oor iets te troos, wat jou ongemaklik laat voel. Hier is dus die vraag: Sal jy oorgee, wanneer oorgawe beteken dat jy iets ongemakliks moet doen? As dit gemaklik was, sou dit nie oorgawe gewees het nie! Die uiterste voorbeeld van oorgawe is Christus wat in Getsemane bid: ‘…Laat nogtangs nie my wil nie, maar u wil geld!’ (Lukas 22:42 NLV). Dit was die moeilikste gebed wat Hy al ooit gebid het en die een wat Hom tot sy lotsbestemming gebring het. Wonderbaarlik is dit die gebed van oorgawe wat God se krag na vore bring.
Sielskos: Job 21-23; Luk 18:18-30; Ps 116:12-19; Spr 8:10-13
2019-03-17
Romeine 12:1 NLV
Paulus skryf: ‘…gee dan julleself aan Hom as ‘n lewende en heilige offer. Dis dié soort offer waarvan Hy hou…’ Gedurende ‘n Joodse offergawe, is ‘n dier doodgemaak en is sy liggaam op die altaar geplaas om deur vuur verteer te word. Wat sal gebeur as jy ‘n lewende wese op die altaar sit en sê: ‘Bly daar totdat jy verteer word,’ en dan die vuur aansteek? Die wese sal afspring! Paulus moedig ons egter aan om terug na die altaar te kruip en ons dag vir dag, oomblik vir oomblik, oor te gee. In die oomblik voel dit soos die dood, maar dit is eintlik die enigste manier om te lewe. Stel jou byvoorbeeld voor dat iemand iets doen wat jou kwaad maak. Op daardie oomblik weet jy nie wat om te doen nie. God weet egter en as jy aan Hom oorgee, sal Hy jou wys hoe om met grasie te reageer. Die opsies wat vir jou aanloklik lyk – vermyding, ontduiking, skinder of woede – gee jy vir God. As jou seer baie diep is, sal dit omtrent vyf minute wees voor die fantasieë oor weerwraak weer hulle kop uitsteek. Jy sal dan van voor af weer moet oorgee. Jy kan hierdie fantasieë egter nou vinniger herken en vir bietjie langer oorgee. Soos wat jy leer om in elke situasie aan God oor te gee, sal jy nie langer ‘n slaaf van jou eie impulse wees nie. Jy verloor ‘n lewe, maar jy ontvang ‘n lewe – ‘n lewe wat baie beter is as die een wat jy verloor het. Op die ou einde kom jy agter dat niks wat jy verloor het, in elk geval die moeite werd was om te hou nie.
Sielskos: Est 4:13-5:3; Matt 6:16-18; Mark 2:18-22
Romans 12:1 NIV
Paul writes, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice…pleasing to God.” During a Jewish sacrifice, an animal would be killed and then its body placed on the altar to be consumed by fire. So what happens if you put a live creature on the altar and say, “Stay there until you’re consumed,” then light the fire? The creature will jump off! But Paul encourages us to crawl back onto the altar, to surrender day by day, moment by moment. In the moment it feels like death, but it is really the only way to live. For example, suppose somebody does something that angers you. The situation is complicated, so you are not even sure of the right way to respond. Without even trying, your mind fills with all kinds of bad thoughts. In that moment you do not know what you should do. But God knows, and if you surrender to Him, He will show you how to respond with grace. The options that look attractive to you – avoiding, evading, gossiping, blasting – you relinquish to God. If your hurt runs deep, it will be about five minutes before the revenge fantasies start raging back. You will have to surrender all over again. But you can recognize those fantasies a little quicker now, and yield a little longer. As you learn to surrender to God in each given situation, you no longer have to surrender to your own impulses. You lose a life, but you gain a life – a life much better than the one you lost. In the end, it turns out that nothing you lost was really worth keeping anyway.
Soul food: Est 4:13-5:3; Matt 6:16-18; Mark 2:18-22
